The Queen Has Fallen
by vegematarian
Summary: Three years after the fallen equalist revolution, Asami has developed a reputation for throwing grand parties for the emerging young socialites of Republic City. After transforming Future Industries back into a trusted company, and dealing with the accusations of the tabloids, the young queen of industry had learned how to handle surprises. Or so she thought. *On summer hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

A live jazz band performed on a stage covering the indoor pool of the mansion, surrounded by a dancing crowd of young socialites of Republic City. The kitchen had been transformed into a bar, tended to by friendly servers who served mixed drinks and champagne. The hallways were filled with the echoes of music, laughter, clinking glasses, and the conversations of content guests.

Asami Sato stood at the top of the main staircase for a few moments, eyes closed. Her hand rested on the guardrail above the stairs. She breathed slowly for a few moments, taking in the sounds of her successful social gathering. She wore a black dress with a plunging neckline that ended just above her knees, partnered with a long pearl necklace. Her eyes were adorned with the usual purple shadow and mascara. A smile hid behind her scarlet lips, held involuntarily in place from the joy of receiving a letter from a good friend in the United Forces earlier that day.

"Asami!" a familiar voice called from the base of the stairs. The heiress' eyes fluttered open to meet Bolin's wide grin. "Swanky party!"

"Thanks, Bo," Asami replied and walked down the stairs in heeled feet. In the years since the downfall of the equalist revolution, the young queen of industry had developed a reputation for throwing great parties. "When did you get here?"

"Fifteen minutes ago or so," Bolin answered, taking Asami's hand and guiding her the rest of the way down the steps.

"Are Korra and Mako coming, too?" She posed, readjusting her grip on the earthbender's hand and pulling him down a hallway.

"Korra had to go to the Southern Water Tribe for some festival they have every year," Bolin started, "but Mako's coming in a little bit." Asami sighed. Even though they had managed to become friends, and she no longer had romantic feelings for her ex-boyfriend, their relationship still remained tense. She knew he had the best intentions, but his overly controlling nature drove her crazy, especially when he gave her advice on how to handle her life. She was too independent and too vocal to not give him a piece of her mind every now and again.

"Two whiskey sours, please," Asami told a server, upon arriving to the kitchen. "Make one a double-shot," she added.

"Asami, I don't want to start out drinking that much fire whiskey," Bolin interjected, throwing his hands up in the air.

"The double shot's for me," she explained, smiling as she was handed their drinks. After examining which glass contained the darker colored beverage, Asami handed Bolin his drink.

"How is it that you can handle more alcohol than me? It doesn't make any sense," the earthbender commented before taking a sip of his beverage.

"When you're under the scrutiny of the public eye, you tell me how you handle the pressure without the daily medicinal cocktail," Asami mused, adjusting the feathered headband she wore in her hair. Bolin pondered this for a moment as his friend quickly consumed her drink. She ordered a glass of champagne.

"Well if it isn't Miss Future herself!" a voice shouted from behind the heiress.

"Tahno!" Asami turned and greeted her friend with a hug. Bolin crossed his arms. After Korra restored Tahno's bending, he'd warmed a bit to team avatar. Bolin still had his doubts about the waterbender. Asami didn't blame the earthbender for holding a grudge, seeing as how she witnessed the fire ferrets on the receiving end of Tahno's rule-breaking fury. She, however, had gotten close with the wolfbats team captain after he became a regular at her parties. They discovered they had similar taste in films, and went to see a moving picture the third Wednesday of every month.

"How have you been, darling?" Asami coined, grabbing her full champagne glass from a server.

"Well, and you?" Tahno responded, and raised his hand to order a drink from a server. Bolin patiently sipped his drink as he tolerated Tahno's presence.

"I'm doing particularly well, actually," the heiress returned, with a grin spreading across her face. "I received a letter from my pen pal today."

"Oh really? You two still write each other quite frequently, don't you?" The waterbender raised his eyebrows. He accepted the gin and tonic set on the counter in front of him and sipped it casually. Asami simply smiled and patted Tahno on the shoulder.

"I'll see you later, my dear, I promised Bolin I'd dance with him for some portion of the night," she said and put her hand on Bolin's arm. The earthbender finished his drink before raising his hand and signaling, through a combination of pointing and dramatic facial expressions, his desire for a glass of champagne. After he was handed his glass, he tapped it lightly against Asami's glass and the pair took a sip together.

There were many rumours going around that there was a budding romance between Bolin and Asami. The heiress and the earthbender were known for drinking and dancing together until the early hours of the morning. Two months after jokingly telling Bolin that he ought to take some dancing lessons after he accidentally stepped on her feet during the ball Councilman Tarrlok had thrown for Korra, Asami found herself enrolled as the boy's partner in a modern dance class. Bolin proved to be a fast learner, and the heiress found herself enjoying the bonding time with her friend. On the dance floor, they moved together in perfect harmony. She had to admit, there was definitely some physical attraction between the two. But the green-eyed pair agreed that no one was to know about the three or four times they had indulged in their carnal desires. They didn't want to deal with Mako's jealousy, or the pressures of being in a relationship with each other. Bolin enjoyed his reputation as a ladies' man, and Asami had kept a soft spot for her friend in the United Forces.

Bolin had discovered the opportunity to meet willing coeds when the tabloids first started publishing stories about the possibility of their relationship turning romantic. Asami and the earthbender laughed at the headlines of the newspaper and had been joking about it all day. They drank and danced, maybe a little closer together than usual, but nothing out of the ordinary for the pair. The heiress decided to go get another drink and had left her friend on the dance floor when the young man was approached by two very friendly, very handsy young women. Asami noticed their discreet exit from the dance floor and laughed to herself. She discovered the perks of being a "taken" young woman as well: men respected her and left her alone unless they were her friends. And so, the pair agreed to play the part just enough to each get what they wanted out of the deal. Aside from a few rare nights where the pair ended up in bed together, Asami enjoyed dancing and drinking without getting hit on and Bolin enjoyed finishing his evenings with interchangeable women.

Tonight was a night like most others for the earthbender and heiress. They drank champagne and danced in sync. After spending a few songs out on the dance floor, the pair agreed to return to the kitchen to get another drink. They found Mako nursing a fire whiskey on the rocks before ordering drinks of their own and going to sit in on a couch in the entry room of the mansion. The trio chatted for 15 minutes before Asami decided the only way to deal with the stress of talking to her ex-boyfriend was to have another drink. She excused herself and wandered into her kitchen, stopping to greet the occasional friend along the way.

"Can you make me something with some sort of juice in it?" Asami asked a server across the counter of her kitchen.

"Of course, Miss Sato," the server replied.

"Great. Make it strong, please," she requested and leaned against the counter as she waited, idly drumming her nails.

"A strong drink? Is something wrong, Miss Sato?" A familiar masculine voice registered in Asami's ears. Her lips involuntarily curved upwards as a result. "I've heard that your tolerance for alcoholic beverages is rather impressive."

"Perhaps you'd like to spend the evening with me to see it for yourself, General," Asami cooed, accepting the fruity drink that had been handed to her before turning around to face her surprise guest. Iroh smiled softly and offered her his arm, which she took with one hand as he led her to a quiet, uncrowded hallway.

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**Author's Note: I couldn't not write another Irosami fic... I love my OTP too much to ignore them for very long. Anyways, I enjoy the concept of Asami being a badass queen of industry who can handle her liquor. I also like Bolin and Tahno too much to not give them sweet roles in the story. Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Iroh led Asami to a loveseat in a sparsely populated hallway of the mansion.

"Did you get my letter?" the general asked, taking his seat. The heiress sat next to him, smiling sincerely.

"Yes, I did," she answered, placing her hand on his thigh. A familiar spike of adrenaline rushed through her veins from the contact. "I love the small painting you included. The colors are beautiful."

"I asked the artist to paint me something for a beautiful woman whom I missed dearly," the firebender explained, his amber gaze meeting her emerald stare. He brushed a hand over her hair before placing it gently on her shoulder. A shiver ran up her spine. She took a sip of her drink, trying to keep her cool.

"When did you get into town?" Asami coined, subconsciously leaning closer to the general.

"This afternoon. I met with the city councilmen to give them the quarterly report, and afterwards I visited with my good friend's tea shop," the Fire Nation prince answered, adjusting in his seat.

"When were you planning on telling me that you were coming to Republic City?"

"About now. I've been reading so much about your parties in the papers and have decided it's to see one for myself," Iroh smiled, caressing her shoulder with his thumb absentmindedly.

"The tabloids have been saying a lot of things about me lately," Asami said, looking down at her lap. She hoped the general hadn't seen anything about her and Bolin.

"I've read a few headlines declaring the beginnings of a relationship between you and Bolin," the general agreed, and Asami inwardly recoiled in horror. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Iroh continued, "I know how ridiculous it is to receive special attention from overly imaginative reporters. My first day as general of the United Forces was also the day the Fire Nation Weekly ran a story suggesting I was having an affair with the wife of a nobleman."

"Sounds like a rough first day," Asami commented. Iroh smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. The couple sat in silence for a few moments. The general continued stroking the heiress' shoulder as her hand rested on his lap.

"I've missed you, you know," Asami broke the silence, looking into Iroh's eyes.

"I've missed you, too," the general returned, bringing his hand up to cup her face. He pulled her in for a soft, sweet kiss. The owner of Future Industries felt a familiar warmth radiate from her lips. She leaned into her hand resting atop his thigh. He ran his hand through her hair, tugging lightly at the ends of the strands. She parted her lips, providing his tongue entry and adding some passion to the kiss. The general placed his other hand on the heiress' shoulder blade, pulling their bodies even closer together.

After a few minutes of passionate liplock, Asami pulled back to break the kiss. Iroh rested his forehead against hers, looking down at her lips as his fingers lightly ran through her dark locks.

"I enjoyed the photos you sent me a few weeks ago," the general finally said, placing a gentle kiss on Asami's check.

"I thought you would. I spent a long time picking those bathing suits for the summer," the young woman stated, sliding her hand closer to the growing bulge in the general's pants.

"You chose them well," Iroh spoke softly, trailing his lips down to his partner's neck, laying another light kiss. Asami smiled involuntarily at the charge her body received from his electric lips. Her fingers lightly traced over the bulge in his pants as he kissed her neck tenderly, his digits still playing with her hair.

"You know, General, this isn't very lady-like of me to be doing out in the open," she said delicately. Iroh ignored this comment and grazed a hand over the bare skin of her chest, exposed from the plunging neckline of Asami's dress. He gently nibbled her neck with his teeth as he did this. Goosebumps spread across the heiress' neck and back. Her fingers were now massaging his hardening member through his pants. He hummed softly into her neck. Asami felt the warmth growing inbetween her legs. Iroh returned his hand to her chest, this time sliding his fingers underneath the fabric of her dress to lightly stroke her nipple. She arched her back at this touch and grabbed his chin, guiding his lips back up to hers. They exchanged a heated kiss as their hands gave each other erotic massages.

Suddenly, Asami pulled back from the kiss and stood up.

"I think we should relocate," she said. The heiress grabbed Iroh's wrist and pulled him off the couch, guiding him down the hallway and up another flight of stairs to her private quarters. After she closed the door to her bedroom, their hands eagerly roamed all over each other's bodies as their lips crashed together. The general quickly unzipped Asami's dress and peeled it off her body before pushing her down onto the bed and climbing on top of her. Asami unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off as his hands held and massaged her breasts. He moved his lips down to hear breasts and covered them with feathery, wet kisses. He flicked his tongue over her hardened nipples, eliciting a soft moan. Asami unbuckled the general's pants and pulled them down off his hips. She slid her hand underneath the fabric of his underwear and grabbed his length. He drew a sharp inward breath at this touch, his lips curving upwards into a smile. While continuing to kiss and lick his partner's chest, Iroh dropped one hand down to the growing heat between Asami's legs. He gently tugged off her panties and tossed them on the floor, bringing his fingers back to her entrance. He gracefully traced his fingers over the edges of her folds before dipping a few of them into her entrance. His moistened fingertips pushed deeper into his partner as she let out a moan. Her breaths synched with his thrusts as she pulled off his boxer briefs and ran her fingers up and down his hardened member. Iroh trailed his kisses back up to Asami's lips, and their tongues danced together as he withdrew his fingers from her core to pull her hips level with his. She angled his member with her hands and he gently entered her. They groaned in unison at the sensation.

"Oh, I missed this," she breathily commented as she wrapped her legs around his hips. He laughed and started his thrusts out slowly. Asami reveled in the feeling of friction inbetween her legs, her arousal heightening with each push. The couple found themselves in a fast, hard rhythm. They moaned and grunted together, slowly heading towards their destination. Asami trailed her nails over Iroh's back as she kissed his neck. The general tugged her hair with each thrust, generating an erotic tingling in the young woman's scalp. She dug her nails into his skin to signal for him to thrust harder. He obliged and got an immediate vocal response from the heiress. She moaned loudly with each labored thrust.

"I-roh, don't, stop," she grunted. She could feel his legs trembling with each motion; his climax was near. Hers was too.

A loud knock at the door pulled the lovemaking couple's thoughts away from their current actions.

"Asami!" Bolin shouted through the door. Iroh slowed his thrusts.

"No, don't stop now," she ordered, prompting her lover to pick up the pace slightly.

"Go away, Bolin," Asami called to her friend on the other side of the door. Iroh's lips found his way back to her neck. She let out an involuntary moan.

"Asami, it's kind of serious!" the earthbender shot back.

"Not, now, Bo-lin," she barked, inbetween thrusts.

"There's a really bad fight downstairs! It's turning into a bending brawl!" Bolin shouted. Iroh slowed his thrusts once again, but didn't stop showering her soft neck with kisses.

"Ah, fuck," the heiress sighed. "I'll be down there in a second! If it gets any worse, call the cops!"

"Ok, should I wait for you up here? Who are you in there with, anyways?" Her friend called back through to door.

"Go downstairs, Bo! I'll be down in a minute!" Asami shouted back. She flipped Iroh onto his back and climbed back on top of his member. He smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, the drama of being a party hostess," he cooed.

"Shut up," the heiress demanded and slid her self up and down his member at a fast pace until the pair finished together a few minutes later. She climbed off of her partner and collapsed on the bed next to him. He wrapped one arm around her and turned to kiss her forehead softly. They laid together in silence for a few moments before Asami sat back up in the bed. She leaned over the general and laid a kiss on his lips.

"Okay, let's go see who I have to kick out of the estate tonight," she said, scooting to the edge of the bed to put her dress back on. Iroh groaned and sat up to clothe himself as well.

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**Author's note: Thanks for the friendly reviews! I just couldn't write Irosami without starting it out smutty... but things shall get interesting real fast! This story is kind of writing itself, and is slowly turning into a drama. We shall see. Please continue to read and review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Asami stepped down the stairs to the floor level of the mansion, with Iroh at her heels. Her face expressed a higher level of shock with each step she took, growing closer to the sounds of chaos echoing from the indoor pool.

"Oh my god," she said aloud. "What the hell is going on down there?" The general followed the heiress in silence. The couple finally entered the room.

The band had stopped playing and abandoned the stage to make way for the five brawling benders that had claimed the area as their own. The once dancing socialites were gathered around the new entertainment, some members of the crowd cheering on the drunken fight. Bolin and Mako were attempting (and failing, miserably) to stop the fight. An enraged earthbender used his bending to hurl a lionturtle statue at Bolin, who punched through the obstacle, turning it into a dusty powder.

Asami started forcing her way through the crowd, with the general still close behind. She made it to the stage just in time to watch Mako take a block of ice to the gut and hit the ground with a loud thud. Bolin used the shards from the lionturtle statue as ammo, shooting tiny fragments of earth at the offending waterbender.

"What the hell is going on here?" the hostess angrily questioned the group on stage. The earthbender who had thrown the lionturtle statue propelled a platypusbear statue at Asami, who ran up the floating statue and jumped off it, landing on the ground in front of the earthbender. She stood up and punched the surprised man square in the temple, effectively knocking him out. Bolin ran up to a second drunken earthbender who had turned towards Asami and knocked him to the ground with such force that he, too, fell into unconsciousness. A firebender shot a fireball at Bolin's back, but Mako had jumped back up and deflected the blow, countering with one of his own. The firebender hadn't expected this, and was knocked to the ground after taking the blow to the chest. Another waterbender began aiming stakes of Ice at the hostess and her friends, but Mako melted the icicles with fire blasts before they had the chance to strike any of them. He fired a powerful fireball at the waterbender and knocked the man off the stage.

The waterbender who had hurled the block of ice that knocked Mako to the ground turned to the bending brothers and lassoed them together with a stream of water, throwing them into the crowd. He then gripped the heiress' ankle with another stream of water. He pulled up, effectively taking the nonbender's legs out from under her and sending her crashing to the ground. Before she had time to jump back up and knock the sorry asshole to the floor, the waterbender was hit with a fireblast so powerful that he shot off the stage and flew across the room, slamming into the stone wall 50 feet away. Asami glanced over to the source of the bending attack, her eyes falling on General Iroh, still in his battle stance. He walked over the hostess and offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her back up.

The crowd stood in stunned silence as Mako and Bolin slowly got back up and helped Iroh gather the unconscious group of rude party guests. Then, the police finally arrived, storming the room and crowding the stage. A large portion of the young socialites started to leave the party as soon as they saw the authorities. One of the officers approached Asami.

"Good evening, Miss Sato," he said calmly.

"Hello, officer. Thank you for coming, but I think we have everything under control now," the heiress responded. "If you just want to take these five unwanted guests away that'd be great."

"I'm afraid I have to do more than that, Miss Sato," the officer stated, looking out towards the crowd. "Since this is the third reported violent incident to occur in the mansion within a two month period, I'm going to have to shut the party down." Asami's heart sank.

"Surely you must be joking," she hoped aloud.

"I wish I were. Maybe you should be a little more picky about who you let in your estate, Miss Sato," the officer said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So, you have the choice. You can inform your guests that they all must leave, or I will." Asami held her eye contact with the police officer as she stood firmly in front of him before walking past him and grabbing the microphone off the stand.

"Uh, sorry about that, folks," she said awkwardly, taking a step to the side. "I'm also sorry that the police are shutting the party down." She paused to hear the disappointed groan from the crowd. "But thank you so much for coming, and hopefully I'll see you all next time!" She placed the microphone back on its stand and walked back up to the police officer with her head hung in shame. She'd never had to end a party like this before!

After asking a few questions and conducting a short investigation, the police left the estate with the offending guests in custody. The heiress and her friends stood on the stage in the empty room, discussing what had just happened.

"So, are you never allowed to throw a party again?" Bolin asked curiously.

"No, but my business partners are going to be upset with me. I probably won't be able to throw another big bash for a few months to keep them happy," Asami answered, looking around the empty room, adding, "Maybe next time I should have a stricter guest list."

"That'd probably be a good idea. Maybe if you would have listened to me when I told you to do that, this wouldn't have happened," Mako droned in his motherly tone. Asami rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She didn't want to make herself look bad in front of her friend in the United Forces. After a brief moment of silence, Bolin decided to address the elephant-rhino in the room.

"So… _you_ were the one with Asami when I came up to tell her about the fight," the earthbender pointed at the Fire Nation prince, who turned a light shade of red.

"Bolin!" Asami interjected.

"I thought you were supposed to be doing stuff on your boat right now, anyways," Mako stated coldly, glaring at the general. Asami took a deep breath. Why didn't she have more girlfriends?

"I actually had my quarterly meeting with the council of Republic City today," Iroh said coolly. Mako raised an eyebrow.

"And you decided to come check out the party afterwards?" he questioned.

"Miss Asami has a reputation of being the hostess of great parties. I wanted to experience one for myself," the general calmly responded.

"Don't you have more military stuff to do in the morning?" Mako interrogated further.

"That's enough, Mako," Asami asserted. "All the other guests have left. Maybe you should do the same." Asami and Mako shared a moment of angry eye contact before Mako started to take his leave.

"Come on, Bo," the firebender called out to his brother. The earthbender hugged his friend goodnight.

"See ya later, 'Sami," he smiled and followed his brother to the exit of the house. Asami let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow, sorry you had to deal with all that," she said, turning to the general. He put his arm around her.

"It's quite all right, Miss Asami. I was expecting to deal with much more than one man who was jealous of my escort for the evening," Iroh said calmly. "Plus, I got to see you hold your own in a fight." He pulled her closer to him.

"Did you like what you saw, General?" she asked, eyes full of desire.

"I think you know my answer to that," he responded, mirroring her gaze. He pressed his lips to hers and they shared a heated kiss.

"Shall we go back upstairs?" the heiress suggested after breaking their exchange. The general smiled and nodded, offering his escort his arm before leading her back to her room.

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**Author's note: sorry, no smut in this chapter, but I figured the action makes up for it? Also, sorry Mako lovers, but as I am an Asami fan, I kind of hate him and like to portray him as a dick. There shall be some sexy time in the next chapter though! Please read and review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Asami and Iroh's naked bodies lay on the bed in the young woman's private quarters. Asami was lying down on her back, with Iroh's chest hovering above hers, resting upon his arms. She draped her arms over his shoulders as he kissed his way up her neck to her ear.

"I always forget how good you are at that," she complimented, staring up at the ceiling.

"Why thank you, my queen of industry," he responded, pecking her shoulder with his lips.

"The papers tomorrow are going to have a field day with the fight tonight," she commented, tensing at the thought.

"I'm doing a really bad job of making you forget about that," the general said, running a hand through her hair.

"But you are trying your best."

"Well let's try again then," he said coolly, laying a passionate kiss atop her lips. His hands trailed down her body to her legs. They gently brushed over the tops of her thighs before creeping to the entrance of her core. His index finger found her clitoris and pressed down softly.

"You'd think that since that's the third time you've done that tonight, it'd have less of an affect on me," she breathed into his ear. He lightly rubbed her sensitive area until the only utterances that left her mouth were soft moans. His mouth left a trail of kisses from her shoulders, to her collarbones, to her chest. Asami gathered his hair between her fingers and gently pulled at his scalp in encouragement. He grazed his teeth over her nipples as his fingers slid to the entrance of her core. He curved his fingers to tease a sensitive spot he'd discovered years before, and had never forgotten since. The heiress' fingers pulled harder at his scalp as she groaned in approval of his motions. The skin all over her body tingled in bliss as her partner continued.

Iroh's mouth moved down to Asami's stomach, covering it with feathery kisses as he made his way down her body. His fingers continued stroking her core, inducing loud, heavy breaths from the young queen of industry. Heat was radiating from her eager center, her hips involuntarily gyrating with his penetrations. His mouth ventured closer and closer to her folds but stopped just short of her most sensitive area. Asami cried out as he flicked his tongue over her clitoris. He drew his mouth away from her center as his fingers remained, teasing her insides. He lay slow, wet kisses on her thighs as he slowed his fingers to coordinate them with the movements of his lips. The heiress curled her toes in pleasure, but she wanted _more_. She wanted to touch his body and make him feel exactly what she was feeling. His kisses drew smaller and smaller circles around her center before his lips latched onto her clitoris and sucked. She screamed her lover's name in satisfaction. She tugged harder at his hair. She had to touch him. She needed to feel her hands all over his body.

Asami slid her feet under Iroh's arms. She pulled his head up with his hair as she pushed into his armpits with her feet to pull his chest back up to hers, bringing their lips together once again. He withdrew his fingers from her core from surprise to place both of his hands on either side of her shoulders. Asami eagerly ran her fingers all over his arms, chest, and back. He withdrew from the kiss with a suggestive grin spread on his face. Her hands found her way to his erect member and wrapped around it, prompting his hips to involuntarily buck into her hands. The general reached down and swatted her hands away, bringing the fingers that had been exploring her core back up to his lips.

"I'm not done with you yet," he said before tasting his fingers and scooting himself back down her body. Asami wasn't going to give up so easily. She wrapped her legs around his chest and pressed her arms down onto the bed, flipping the general onto his back so that she sat on top of him, straddling his chest. The general grabbed her hips and started pulling them back to his head, causing Asami to fall onto her hands as he leveled her hips with his face. His tongue ran over her entrance and the heat clouded the heiress' thoughts for a moment. Maybe he should just have his way. After all, he was pretty determined.

Asami snapped back into her desire to explore her partner's body and she stood up on her knees, raising her hips away from the general's impatient mouth. She leaned forward and put her weight on her hands, spinning herself around and setting her knees back down on the bed, climbing forward to straddle Iroh's face from the opposite direction.

"I'm not done with you either," She uttered before wrapping her fingers back around his length. The Fire Nation prince didn't seem to mind this new position, putting his hands onto her hips and pulling them down closer to him, dipping his tongue into her folds to taste her. The heiress groaned again, her head going fuzzy from the stimulation. She pumped her hands gently on his member. He exhaled over her center from the pleasure, forming goosebumps all over Asami's body.

"Iroh," she moaned, giving his member a light squeeze. He hummed into her folds appreciatively as he brought one of his hands down to her clitoris and began stroking it with his thumb. The vibration combined with the direct stimulation from his fingers caused Asami to cry out again. She fell forward onto her hands from the moment of weakness she had. The change in angle allowed Iroh's tongue to venture further into her center, and she screamed her partner's name once more. She had to make him feel what she was feeling.

She lay a gentle kiss atop the head of the general's member, using a small amount of suction. The general moaned and squeezed her ass, not stopping his actions between her legs. She then took him into her mouth and pulled her lips back off him softly. Her partner's hips quivered. She increased her speed as he did the same with his finger. Asami felt her hands start to tingle. The sensation spread to the top of her head. She kept going with her mouth despite the loss of feeling in her hands. Her legs started to tremble. Her partner had started trembling as well. He finished into her mouth with a moan from his lips. The vibration and rush of air from his breath over her stimulated center forced Asami over the edge too. She shut her eyes tightly as a wave of pleasure ran over her body.

"Oh, Iroh!" she screamed one last time before collapsing onto the bed beneath her, breathing heavily. For a few minutes, the only sounds that came from either of the two was their labored breathing.

Then, the Fire Nation prince sat up and grabbed his partner's waist, pulling her up and turning her body around so that they lay together in the spooning position. He kissed her shoulder delicately.

"I love when you come visit the city," She whispered and the pair laughed together, laying in each other's arms before falling asleep.

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**Author's note: Here is some fluffy smut. I hope you enjoyed it! In the next chapter things shall start to get interesting... this plot is making itself now! Please read and review, I do appreciate it! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_The Queen's Bash Ends in a Smash!_

_Last night at 12:32 AM a call was made from the Sato estate, requesting officer assistance for a violent altercation between party guests. A scuffle between two young benders turned into a five-man bending brawl that the hostess herself got involved in. Police officers arrived after the fighters had gotten under control, and dispersed the party. There are no charges being pressed at this time._

"_These two guys were yelling at each other, and the next thing I knew I got hit with a blast of water," one innocent bystander said. A few party guests were treated at the hospital from impact of the elements or, in one case, other bodies._

"_I was watching from the crowd when one of the waterbenders threw Mako and Bolin right into me," a young woman with a broken arm told us from her hospital bed. A total of ten party guests were hospitalized, including the five young men responsible for the fight, one of whom was treated for two cracked ribs. _

_This is the third violent incident to take place at the mansion in two months, the first two incidents resoundingly similar to this one. Supporters of the prohibition movement are calling on the Queen of Industry to bring her partying habits to an end and focus on running Future Industries. Are the 21-year-old CEO's days of partying truly over? Only time will tell._

"Well this is just great," Asami muttered to herself as she handed a copy of _The_ _Republic City Daily_ back to her assistant, Vashir.

"The Republic City Tribune called before you got into work this morning," Vashir stated nervously, walking beside the heiress through the factory floor. "Actually, a lot of newspapers called this morning."

"Marvelous. Can you send Quon to my office? I need him to help me work on a statement to release to the press," the businesswoman questioned before entering her office and sitting down. Her assistant nodded and went to go retrieve her requested person.

Asami spent most of the morning doing damage control: making a statement, releasing it to the public, answering and making phone calls to her partners and apologizing, etcetera. By time lunch rolled around, the young CEO was so wrapped up in her work she hadn't even noticed it was the afternoon. She sat at her desk, making notes on designs and filling out paperwork when her phone rang.

"Asami Sato," she answered, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Miss Sato, General Iroh is here to see you," Vashir spoke on the other end of the phone.

"Oh! Uh, please send him in," the heiress responded before hanging up the receiver. She continued making notes and placing her signature on the papers sprawled all over her desk until she heard the footsteps of her friend enter the office.

"Good afternoon, Miss Asami," the general greeted.

"Hi, Iroh," she smiled at the broad-shouldered man in her office.

"How are the reporters treating you?" he asked, stepping closer to Asami's desk. She set her pen down and took a deep breath.

"Do I really have to answer that?" Iroh chuckled.

"No, I suppose you don't. Anyway, I came here to ask if you might like to join me for lunch," the general said, grin still plastered on his face.

"I'd love to, General," the young queen of industry replied. "Where did you have in mind?"

"I know of a fantastic Earth Kingdom restaurant," The General suggested, examining one of the trinkets on Asami's desk.

"That sounds great," the heiress stated, picking up her phone and dialing a few numbers. "Vashir, I'm taking my lunch break. Would you please come into my office really quick before I leave?" She spoke into the receiver. Her assistant entered her office a few moments later.

"What can I do for you, Miss Sato?" he questioned, waiting patiently by the door.

"Can you take these designs back to Sangok and tell him to read the notes and adjustments I made? Also, will you please distribute these signed contracts to their respective offices?" Asami requested, handing her assistant a stack of papers and a few rolled up designs.

"Yes, ma'am," Vashir responded, eagerly taking the materials his boss was extending to him. "Anything else?"

"You can take your lunch break when you're done," the young woman said before standing up and walking over to the general.

"Of course. Thank you, Miss Sato," Vashir responded and took his leave.

"Ever the gracious businesswoman," Iroh cooed as he offered Asami his arm.

"Future Industries has been doing well under my leadership. I even visit the previous owner from time to time for advice," the young woman stated as she took the firebender's arm and he walked her out of the factory. Workers stopped assembling satomobiles temporarily to watch their boss on the arm of a man- a rare sight indeed!

The restaurant was breathtaking, Asami thought to herself as Iroh led her through the entrance. He smiled and nodded at the host as the pair strolled into the main dining room. The general took an immediate right and led the heiress down a narrow hallway. They turned right again, entering a stairwell that took them to the roof.

Iroh smirked as he watched Asami's jaw drop upon sight of the top level of the restaurant. Ivy-covered pillars held up a wooden lattice around which exotic flowers and vines grew. The Fire Nation prince pulled back the young queen of industry's chair, allowing his date to take her seat before he sat down at his spot across the table from her.

"This place is amazing," Asami breathed as her eyes explored the living ceiling.

"I discovered it a few years ago, when Tenzin invited Commander Bumi and me here for lunch," Iroh explained, admiring his date's interest in their surroundings. When the waiter arrived, Iroh ordered lunch for his date and then himself before requesting a pot of ginseng tea for the pair while they wait. They sat in silence for a few moments before Asami spoke again.

"Thank you for tearing me away from the factory to come here," the heiress declared.

"Of course," Iroh smiled. "I enjoy distracting you from the stress of your daily life." With this statement, the general reached across the table to grab Asami's hand and brought it to his lips. The young queen of industry felt her cheeks flush with heat. He set her hand back down on the table as their waiter arrived with two teacups and a pot of tea. The heiress wrapped her fingers around her cup and held raised it from the table towards her date, who filled her cup from the teapot as they exchanged a moment of heated eye contact.

"Tell me, General," Asami began, bringing her teacup up to her lips. "How much longer are you going to grace Republic City with your presence?"

"Only two more days, I'm sorry to report," Iroh responded softly. The heiress frowned at this statement. Her friend's visits were bittersweet and always too short.

"Will I be able to see you tonight for dinner at the estate?" she returned after taking in his statement for a few moments.

"I would enjoy that," the Fire Nation prince accepted Asami's proposal with a coy grin. The pair enjoyed the rest of their meal together in peace as they exchanged stories and inside jokes.

When they finally exited the restaurant, Asami holding onto Iroh's arm, they were greeted by a crowd of eager newspaper photographers and reporters who snapped shot after shot of the couple.

"Miss Sato! General Iroh! How long have you two been romantically involved?" One reporter called out from the crowd. Asami shielded her eyes from the blinding camera flashes.

"Miss Sato! Is it true that the release date of your new line of satomobiles is being pushed back?" another reporter questioned.

"Does Bolin know about your lunch dates with General Iroh?" yet another reporter added her voice to the mix. Iroh took a deep breath and turned to the young woman standing beside him.

"It's best to not respond to them at all; they'll take anything you say and construe it to give their stories the illusion of truth," he said quietly to the heiress so the barrage of reporters could not hear. She nodded silently and they walked together, trailed by the crowd of photographers, to her satomobile. After they had gotten in the vehicle, the heiress started the engine as quickly as she could and drove down the street, finally leaving the pack of paparazzi behind them.

"I am so sick of being followed around by newspaper reporters any time I do anything fun," she complained as the Satomobile moved down the street.

"I try to stay out of the Fire Nation for that exact reason," Iroh said, agreeing.

"It's probably worse for you, isn't it? Being royalty and all," Asami asked. The firebender shrugged.

"I'd say it's about the same," he commented. They rode in the car for a few moments of silence.

"Where am I taking you?" the heiress chimed back in.

"Is the University too far?" Iroh asked politely.

"Republic City University? What are you up to over there?" Asami questioned curiously.

"A professor who teaches political science has asked me to speak about my experiences from being a part of the royal family in the Fire Nation and General of the United Forces," the Fire Nation prince tried to sound humble.

"That sounds like fun," the young queen of industry commented.

"You're welcome to come watch, Miss Asami," Iroh said warmly.

"I'd love to, but I really have to get back to the factory," the CEO of future industries replied. "They're probably freaking out right now trying to figure out what to do without me!" They laughed together at this statement.

"I understand. Being the queen of industry must not allow for you to have much free time," he commented.

"Yeah," Asami agreed. "It's nice to be busy, though." The general nodded silently in agreement.

"So, what big project are you guys working on, anyways?" he questioned.

"Well, right now we're juggling two projects at once," the heiress explained. "We're trying to make safer biplanes and satomobiles."

"Ah, in response to the recent biplane accident at Whale Tail Island?"

"We've been working on making our products safer for longer than that, but that incident made for a nice motivation to finish strong. I can understand biplanes being dangerous, but what's been more shocking for me is how many satomobile accidents there have been," Asami said.

"They're still pretty new to the world," Iroh commented.

"Yeah, but no matter how new satomobiles are, there will always be accidents," the young woman said solemly. "It's just a risk that comes with selling something self-operated. People make mistakes they sometimes can't afford to." She paused to downshift to a lower gear. "That's why I want to make our vehicles safer."

"Your insight continues to amaze me, Miss Asami," the general complimented. "No wonder Future Industries is doing so well under your watchful eye." The driver smiled at her passenger. After a few more minutes of conversation, Asami pulled up at the front entrance to the University campus.

"I'd like to thank you for driving me, Miss Asami," Iroh smiled at his chauffeur.

"No problem. I'll see you tonight, around 8?" the young driver suggested.

"Of course," the general replied.

"Bring your bathing suit," Asami said. Iroh cocked an eyebrow. "I just got a new hot tub. I thought you might light to try it out."

"That sounds great," he breathed. "On one condition."

"Oh?" the heiress looked curiously at her date.

"Since you aren't going to come watch my presentation, you owe me something," Iroh's smile grew a little wider.

"And what is it that I owe you, General?" Asami asked, leaning a little closer to the passenger in her stopped vehicle.

"A kiss goodbye," he cooed. The young queen of industry smiled.

"I think I can do that," she said, her eyes fixating on his lips as she leaned even closer. Iroh chuckled softly as their faces drifted closer together. Their lips met, creating a spark of electricity that shot through both of their bodies. The prince brought one of his hands up to his partner's neck, gently placing his hands on her soft skin. She parted her lips, inviting his tongue into her mouth. This exchange lasted for a few minutes before the heiress finally pulled back.

"I have to get back to the factory now," she said softly, looking into Iroh's eyes.

"See you tonight," he said before opening his door and exiting the vehicle. Asami waved goodbye before putting her engine back in gear and heading back to the Sato estate.

* * *

**Author's note: I'm so sorry for the long delay between updates! I am a college student and school consumes my life every now and again. I figured to make up for it, I'd give you guys two chapters... I wonder how Iroh's visit to the Sato estate is going to turn out... **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The rest of the day was a blur for the young queen of industry. She had signed so many papers, looked over so many blueprints, answered so many phone calls, that her last four hours of work blended together.

After making the short walk back to the mansion from the factory, the heiress ran a bubble bath and collapsed into it, relaxing the day away. The radio filled her bathroom with the sounds of modern jazz as she preened for her evening with her pen pal.

She answered the door in a knee-length jade dress, shoulders covered by a fur coat. The heiress could tell her date was impressed by the look on his face.

"Good evening, Iroh," she greeted, opening the door to the entryway wider.

"Hello, Miss Asami," he returned, stepping inside. She closed the door behind him. "I brought you a gift." The heiress accepted the most stunning flower she'd ever seen, still growing in a ceramic pot. It had four thick, soft white petals, speckled with dots of violet, yellow and red. At its center, four stamens held up four large, bright orange anthers, dusted with pollen. The stem that held up the flower was a rich green from which thick, sword-like leaves sprouted.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, admiring the handsome plant specimen. "What type of flower is this? I've never seen one before."

"It's a fire orchid," Iroh answered. "They grow in the canopies of forests at the base of volcanoes in the Fire Nation." Asami started to lead the general to her kitchen.

"You are an interesting man, Iroh," she mused as they walked through the halls of the Sato mansion.

"What do you mean?" the Fire Nation prince asked innocently.

"Most men who would bring a woman a flower on a date would bring a cut flower, or possibly a bouquet of cut flowers. Yet you bring a live flower, still in a pot," she said, the pair arriving at the kitchen. She set the fire orchid down on a countertop.

"Most men are fools. Bringing a woman a bouquet of flowers is asking her to watch them wither up and die," Iroh said coolly. "If you bring a special woman a rare flower, you're asking her to watch it grow, and nurture it, so that every time she cares for the plant, she thinks of you." The heiress blushed at this comment.

"You are too perfect, General Iroh," she smiled. He shook his head and placed his hands on Asami's shoulders, pulling her close. For a moment he furrowed his brow as if he were thinking of something to say, but he opted for silence before laying a kiss atop his lover's lips.

"I had one of the house workers prepare us some seaweed noodles," Asami said after their short liplock. "I didn't really feel like making dinner after work today."

"I can't blame you for that," Iroh smiled and sat at the kitchen table with the heiress. They ate their noodles as he explained to her the best way to care for her newly acquired rare flower.

"Wait… so I'm _not_ supposed to water it every day?" the CEO of Future Industries asked, baffled.

"No. The roots like to dry out between watering times. If you give it 5 ice cubes every week, it should thrive," the Fire Nation prince sitting at her table explained.

"That doesn't sound very hard," she commented.

"I have faith that you can do it," Iroh teased, with an encouraging smile.

* * *

Asami found herself inside her hot tub, deep in a passionate kiss with Iroh. The fingers of one hand snaked through his hair as he nibbled her lip, while her other hand explored the muscles of her partner's body. She broke the liplock to breathe for a few moments.

"You're so intoxicating," she hissed into his ear. Iroh laughed softly, sweeping his hand over her dark locks of hair. Her other hand abandoned the general's hair to roam his body as well. She brushed over a particularly sensitive area, prompting a soft moan from the firebender. He grabbed her hips and pulled them over to his, taking advantage of how weightless the heiress was in the warm water. He pressed his lips to hers hungrily as his hands slid further down her back. Asami pressed her hips down onto his. Only the thin layers of their bathing suit fabric separated his length from her core. She gripped his shoulders with her hands as his cupped and caressed her backside. They grinded their hips together in pleasure.

The firebender trailed his kisses down Asami's neck as he brought his hands up to her shoulders, resting his fingers atop the straps of her bathing suit. The heiress moaned in encouragement, prompting Iroh to wrap his fingers around the straps and slide them down her arms, exposing her chest to his amber gaze. His hands gently explored her breasts, prompting slightly louder moans that echoed off the stone walls of the pool room. She dragged her fingertips down her partner's back.

Iroh brought his lips down to Asami's wet breasts and breathily covered them with kisses. His breath was hot, she'd noticed. So hot, in fact, that it evaporated the water from her skin. It was a strange, arousing sensation for the young queen of industry. His lips were also noticeably hotter as they brushed over her nipples, prompting an involuntary squeak to leave her lips. Asami's enthusiastic moaning echoed down to the intertwined couple. She traced her fingers down to the fabric of her partner's swim trunks, and followed the fabric around to the front of his shorts. The heiress stroked his member through the cloth with her thumb while her fingertips slipped under the waistband of his shorts. The general's hot, breathy kisses suddenly became more aggressive, utilizing his teeth, in response to her touch. His fingers gripped Asami's bathing suit below her breasts and pulled it down to her hips. The heiress stood up in the tub, still straddling the Fire Nation prince, allowing him to slowly pull her suit off as his fingers trailed over the skin of her perfect derriere and legs. After setting the wet suit on the ground next to the tub, Iroh trailed his fingers back up his partner to her center.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured to her, pulling the naked young woman back down to his lap, in the warm tub. She smiled and he pressed his lips to hers for a few moments. His fingers worked their magic on her entrance and before long, the heiress tore off Iroh's swim trunks and forced herself down on his length.

"Oh, General," the heiress breathed, slowly pumping herself up and down his shaft, "you do not disappoint." Iroh groaned, grabbing onto her hips and helping her up and down. His lips met hers once more as their hips eagerly bucked together.

After breaking their most recent kiss, the Fire Nation prince pulled his partner's hips into his and stood up, bending his knees so their waists still remained in the warm water. He flipped the heiress around so that she faced away from him, with her knees resting on the seat of the tub. He bent down and pressed his chest to her back, rocking into her with enthused moans. One of his hands caressed her breasts, more-heated-than-usual fingers lightly pinching her nipples.

Asami's eyes fluttered shut as his other hand found its way to her clitoris. She felt the skin on her arms, hands, and the top of her head begin to tingle again. The world around her melted away. All she felt was the warmth of the water she was submerged in, Iroh's length thrusting inside her, and his experienced hands exploring the other erogenous zones on her body.

"Iroh," she groaned, her head swimming in pleasure. She was too far gone to think of anything else to say other than her lover's name. "Oh, Iroh!" Asami let out a squeal of pleasure as the General of the United Forces continued to thrust into her. She placed her forearms on the edge of the hot tub and arched her back, pressing her partner's chest up away from her body. He stood up and slid his hands away from her sensitive areas, resting them on her back as he continued his slow, gentle thrusting. She hooked her ankles around his waist, changing the angle of her hips against his while bringing them closer together.

"Asami," he whispered hoarsely in response to the change in sensation. He trailed his hands down the length of her spine, his heated fingers evaporating the water off of his mistress in neat lines. She felt the temperature of the water around them rise as well. She hummed breathily as she noticed the increase of the heat inside her center, stroking her sweet spot. His hands found and gripped her hips. His palms seared into her skin, steam arising from his touch.

"Harder," the heiress finally managed to say. She didn't have time to prepare as Iroh obeyed her command immediately. They both groaned and gasped as the increased speed in their action brought them to the brink of bliss. The General's fingers tightened around the heiress's hips. He continued increasing the speed and force of his thrusts until he was surprised to hear the screams of his partner's orgasm. He continued his motions as he felt her muscles contract around his member until he finished with a breathy moan.

He looked down at the bare back of the young woman in front of him and bent down to shower it with gentle kisses. The heiress enjoyed this display of affection as she caught her breath. His lips traced down her spine until he placed one last kiss at the bottom of her back.

"I do enjoy this hot tub very much," Iroh said with a smile as he turned Asami to face him.

"I don't think I'll be ever able to enjoy it this much again without your help," she joked before his lips met hers in a tender kiss.

He sat down on the seat in the hot tub and the heiress rested herself on his chest. They sat together as the general played with Asami's hair, talking and enjoying silence together for another hour. The couple finally emerged from the water with pruny skin, the heiress smiling slyly as she led her naked partner into the mansion towards her quarters.

* * *

**Author's note: Thank you for waiting patiently for the latest installation of _The Queen Has Fallen_! I promise the next updated won't be too far away and it might be bit smut-tastic... sorry I'm not sorry, we all know Irosami is a spicy-hot pairing and it hasn't been getting much love lately.**


	7. Chapter 7

Asami was roused from her deep sleep by the gentle sensation of lips on her neck. She groaned sleepily as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes immediately fell on Iroh, covering her neck with soft, warm kisses.

"Good morning, General," she said softly, closing her eyes again.

"Good morning, Asami," he cooed into her neck, pausing his kisses only to speak. A few moments of silence passed as he continued to shower his mistress with attention. "I have to leave the estate in an hour," he spoke.

"Oh no," the heiress returned groggily, bringing one of her hands up to her admirer's hair and lazily running her fingers through it, her nails lightly raking over his scalp. "Why do you have to leave my comfortable bed so early in the morning?"

"I have my last meeting with the city councilmen this morning," he explained, bringing his kisses up to Asami's jawline. "And then I'm having lunch with Professor Xu, followed by a meeting with Chief Beifong."

"That sounds like a fun day," she mused, her eyes still shut as her partner's kisses ventured onto her cheeks.

"It would be more fun if it got off to the right start," he said suggestively before pressing his lips to hers. Asami smiled into the kiss.

"I think I can help with that," she stated, opening her eyes after the kiss had been broken. She traced his spine with the index finger of her right hand as the general moved his lips down the heiress' body. He lingered on her chest before moving down to her stomach, then laying a few gentle pecks on her hips. He brought his fingers to her entrance and lightly stroked her sensitive flesh. She hummed in approval as he continued, finally dipping a finger into his partner. Iroh then brought his mouth down to the growing heat between Asami's legs and ran his tongue over an aroused bundle of nerves. The heiress moaned. He repeated the action. Another moan. He began to pump his fingers faster as his tongue made tiny circles and figure-eights across Asami's clitoris.

"You are too good at that," she commented breathily, all traces of sleepiness gone from her voice. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of his stimulation, at times involuntarily arching her back in pleasure. Before long, the general's display of affection wasn't enough for Asami. It felt good, but it wasn't filling like she wanted. She needed more.

"Iroh," she moaned. He pretended he didn't hear her and continued his actions. "Iroh, I'm ready." Again, the Fire Nation prince ignored her statement. "Iroh, please…"

The general withdrew his mouth from between Asami's legs and smiled at the heiress, fingers still exploring her core. Her breathing had become labored.

"Iroh, I need you," she groaned, writhing under his touch. "Right now." This seemed to be the statement he had been waiting for. He immediately withdrew his fingers from her core and sat up, leaning over the heiress to give her a passionate kiss. She could taste herself on his tongue. He touched the head of his erection to her folds. The warmth radiating from his member was almost overwhelming. He inched his way into his mistress, both of their heads reeling from the slow buildup of arousal in their bodies. He withdrew almost completely before forcing himself back into her. He repeated this action, steadily increasing the pace of his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around his waist and contracted the muscles of her core around his length.

"Asami," he whispered into her neck, leaving a playful bite mark. She purred as her world went fuzzy from her heightened state of arousal. Iroh slid his hands and forearms between Asami's back and the mattress below her, pulling her body close to his before he flipped over, putting himself on the bottom of their entanglement. She sat atop him for a moment, reveling in the full sensation in her core. Asami then gripped his shoulders and started moving again. She leaned forward, changing the angle of penetration until he stroked her at just the right spot. His hands guided her hips up and down his shaft. She pressed her hands down onto his shoulders, tightening her grip as she felt her orgasm coming. She tried to express this through words but could only manage to groan her partner's name. The strained look on his face told her he wasn't far away either. With one final thrust, Asami tumbled over the edge. She cried out as her partner continued thrusting into her until he, too, finished. She leaned over Iroh to give him a gentle kiss before climbing off of him and laying back down in the bed next to him.

Asami closed her eyes as she rested her head on Iroh's chest, both of them breathing heavily in the aftermath of their actions. He played with the ends of her hair as they lay together in silence.

"I'm not opposed to being woken up like this every morning," the heiress finally uttered, laying a kiss on her partner's chest.

"I'll keep that in mind," Iroh cooed. He slid out from under her and kissed her lips one last time before sitting up. "Time to make myself presentable," he smiled and stood up from the bed.

"Just how do you plan on doing that, General Iroh?" Asami teased, not moving from her spot on the bed. "All your clothes are downstairs on the pool deck." A moment passed as Iroh registered this.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, so that Asami didn't hear. He tried not to swear around her. His mother had taught him better than to use vulgar language around a lady. "So, uh, what should I do?"

"You could just walk down and get your uniform," the heiress said. "I don't think many house workers are here yet."

"I can't be seen naked in your house," he returned. "I mean, the workers already know what's going on, we don't need to give them blatant proof." Asami sighed and sat up. She scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up, padded her way into the bathroom and wrapped a robe around herself. She then turned and approached the nude man standing in her room.

"You owe me for this. I don't usually wake up until seven," she looked up at Iroh. "The fact that I'm moving right now is a miracle." The general placed a few fingers underneath Asami's chin, tilting her face up into a kiss.

"Thank you, Miss Asami," he said softly. The young queen of industry smiled and exited the room to retrieve both her and her partner's clothes from the pool deck.

As she padded her way down the stairs of the mansion, Asami hummed a jazz melody to herself. She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks as she almost ran into one of her servants.

"Miss Sato!" the servant exclaimed, jumping slightly in surprise.

"Good morning, Lian," she greeted the startled girl. The heiress noticed that Lian was holding a stack of folded up clothes- both her and Iroh's outfits from the previous evening.

"I was just about to bring these up to your room, Miss Sato," Lian stated, extending the bundle in her hands to Asami.

"Oh, uh, thanks," the young queen of industry accepted the clothing awkwardly. "Could we keep…._this_," she motioned to the clothing in her hands, "our little secret?"

"I'm not sure that your relationship with General Iroh is much of a secret anymore, Miss Sato," Lian responded quietly. Asami raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should read today's paper."

"Shit," Asami grunted before turning around on her heels and walking back to her room, where the naked prince of the Fire Nation waited for her on her bed. As she entered the bedroom, he eyed the neatly folded clothes in the heiress' arms curiously.

"You folded everything?" He questioned, knowing that the young queen of industry had not neatly organized both of their clothes.

"No, one of the servants found our clothes and was actually bringing them up to the room when I ran into her," Asami explained. "She also suggested I read today's newspaper." Iroh started putting his uniform on as he continued their conversation.  
"I take it you are going to be the star of today's headlines again?" He posed as he stepped into his pants.

"Of course. But today, you're my costar, apparently," the young queen of industry groaned as she plopped down onto the bed. Iroh was silent for a moment as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"Ah, my return to the limelight," he commented. "Great."

* * *

_Has the Queen of Industry Fallen… In Love?_

_ Yesterday afternoon, Future Industries' Chief Executive Officer was spotted at The Kolau Cafe on the arm of General Iroh, of the United Forces Navy. Our sources tell us the General pays Miss Sato a visit almost every time he comes to the city for negotiations with the Republic City Council. The police report from Asami Sato's most recent party lists Iroh II as a witness to the brawl that ended the event. Several attendees of the party have confirmed this. _

_ "When Asami came to break up the fight, General Iroh was right behind her the whole time," one witness in particular told us. Does this mean the budding romance between the young queen of industry and Bolin is over? We at the Republic City Tribune will be keeping an eye on these developments in the weeks to come._

Asami eyed the photos snapped of her and Iroh outside the restaurant that accompanied the article as her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

"Shit," she muttered to herself before setting the newspaper down on her desk, "I hate tabloids."

"Miss Sato?" Vashir greeted his boss before poking his head into her office.

"Morning, Vashir," she responded, looking up from her desk to her assistant.

"Avatar Korra is on the phone for you," he stated.

"Thank you," the heiress smiled before taking a deep breath and picking up the receiver of her telephone.

"Hi, Korra," Asami greeted her friend. In the years after the equalist revolution, Asami found herself warming up to the Avatar. At first, the non-bender was furious with Korra for stealing her boyfriend, but over time, she got over it. Her relationship with Mako remained complicated, but Asami was finally able to forgive Korra, and their friendship blossomed. The heiress was grateful for this; she didn't have many girlfriends and she never would have been able to put Future Industries back on top without the assistance of the Avatar.

"Hey, heartbreaker," Korra teased on the other end of the line. "How's juggling two men and running a company going for you?"

"Oh, shut up, you know Bolin and I don't have a thing," Asami replied. She had kept her intimate experiences with the earthbender a secret from the Avatar, knowing that she would tell Mako if she knew. Korra seemed to be catching on, though.

"I know, I know. But I am currently reading an article about your and General Iroh's lunch date yesterday," The Avatar stated.

"Are you back in the city already?"

"Just got in this morning."

"Oh, great! We should get lunch together," Asami suggested, adding, "It's been too long since I've had some girl time."

"Want to come to the island? I'm teaching Bolin how to make water tribe food," the Avatar responded.

"Should I take the ferry?"

"Fuck the ferry," Korra sassed. "I'm borrowing Oogi; I'll meet you and Bolin at the patio behind the estate." Asami laughed. The Avatar might have hidden her usual vernacular from the press, but everyone close enough to the girl knew she cursed often.

"Sounds good. Should I call Bolin?" the heiress asked.

"Nah, I'm sure you're busy; I'll drop him a line. Expect him around 12:30 or so," Korra answered.

"Alright then. See you later!" Asami hung up her phone and drummed her fingers on her desk for a moment before composing herself and getting back to business.

"Vashir?" She called, waiting for her secretary's response.

"Yes, Miss Sato?" he responded.

"Could you get Quon to come to my office? I'd like to discuss our marketing campaign for our safer lines of satomobiles," Asami requested, thumbing through the stack of papers on her desk. She could hear the clicking sounds of Vashir's rotary phone, followed by his short conversation with the marketing advisor of the company. A short while later, Quon arrived at Asami's office and their meeting was officially underway. They shared ideas for 20 minutes before things started to wrap up.

"So when are you thinking this new line would be ready for mass production?" Quon questioned, holding a clipboard and waving his pen around with his statements.

"I'm hoping to have the designs finalized by the beginning of fall, with production starting just before the winter," Asami answered. "Since we're also working on tires for driving in the snow, I figure it'd be a good idea to let both products hit the market at the same time."

"That is a good idea, Miss Sato," Quon agreed. "If you can have the designs finalized by the beginning of September, we should have a showcase of the different models from the line ready for the public by October, and make them available for retail in November."

"Excellent. Will you pick specific dates for the showcase and get back to me?" The young CEO requested, standing up and extending her hand to his. Quon stood up and shook her hand.

"I'll let you know the dates I chose, and we'll get together in a few weeks to plan the marketing campaign," He smiled.

"Great," the heiress returned the smile and Quon took his leave. Asami walked over to a cabinet in the corner of her office and opened it. She retrieved her driving uniform from inside it, closed the door to the office, and changed out of her suit, placing it inside the cabinet where the uniform had been before. She pulled her hair back into a bun and exited her office, stopping at her assistant's desk.

"I'm going to go test drive and tweak some of the new models," she stated. "I'm expecting Bolin around 12:30, would you send him out to the race tracks when he arrives?"

"Of course, Miss Sato," Vashir accepted his boss's request, scrawling himself a note as a reminder.

* * *

Asami happily found herself behind the wheel of one of Future Industries' new prototypes. This particular vehicle had a new type of drivetrain which the CEO had invented herself. It was supposed to deliver an equal amount of power to both axels of the car, giving all four tires equal control over the satomobile. She wasn't entirely sure how it was going to work out.

"I'm going to take it out for a couple of warmup laps and then I'll see how it responds to having its limits pushed," Asami called over the roar of the engine to the mechanics working on the two other models that were to be tested and adjusted that day. She waited for a moment to see if either of them wanted to say anything to her, but they remained hunched over the engines of their respective models. Asami smiled to herself and put the clutch in, shifted into first gear, and steadily accelerated down the racetrack. She lost herself in her first five laps, taking it easy and slow. Driving this track was a repetitive motion, and Asami found herself going into autopilot as she allowed her brain to shut off for a few moments, ignoring the constant pressure she found herself under from running a company, or being followed around by nosy reporters with cameras.

The instant she crossed the finish line for the fifth time, the heiress shifted into gear and accelerated the car aggressively. She waited until the last possible moment to downshift and break before going around the first turn, attempting to bring the car around the corner in a power slide. Instead, the heavy breaking somehow shifted all the power into the front tires of the satomobile and the back end of the vehicle started fishtailing.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Asami cursed to herself as she let her well-developed instincts for driving teak over. She let her foot off the gas and pushed the clutch in, shifted to second gear and steered into the direction her car seemed to want to go in an attempt to get the car back under control. The back end of the satomobile still shook erratically but slowly got back under control. After the model was going the right way again, Asami tried to enter the next corner a little less aggressively, but still tried to push the envelope a little bit. Again, the car began fishtailing, and Asami employed her technique to regain control of the car. Frustrated, she pounded her fist on the steering wheel and decided to try a different approach for her next corner. Asami entered the corner at a reasonable speed, but instead of letting the car get around the corner through breaking, coasting, and accelerating, she floored the gas pedal. The car slid through the curve in the most exhilarating drift Asami had ever maneuvered. The car went in exactly the direction she pointed the steering wheel, with the back end sliding out but still retaining some of its grip on the road so the vehicle remained in control. She cheered excitedly and repeated the drift at every turn throughout the rest of the lap. She then pulled off to the garage where the two mechanics were waiting eagerly for her return.

Asami put the car in park, turned the engine off, and hopped out.

"Did you guys see that?" She called out, brimming with excitement.

"That was the fastest cornering I've ever seen!" One mechanic called out.

"How did you do that?" the other mechanic chimed in.

"I accelerated through the whole turn," Asami explained. "There are a few things I think I could do to improve maneuverability, but as far as I'm concerned, this was a perfect test run for my new drivetrain system!"

The rest of the heiress' morning involved adjusting various aspects of the engine of her new model, and then taking it out for another test run. By the time Bolin arrived at the race track's garage, Asami's face was covered in smudges of grease.

"Hey, Bo!" she smiled at her friend as he approached the car she was working on.

"So, this is the new model you were telling me about?" He asked.

"Yeah, I've been tweaking it all morning and I think I almost have the perfect configurations figured out," she stood up and leaned on the grill of the satomobile proudly.

"I can see that," the earthbender responded, motioning to his face to represent the fact that something was on Asami's face.

"Oh, covered in grease, I know," she replied. "What time is it?"

"Fifteen after noon," Bolin answered, checking his wristwatch.

"Good. We still have some time before Korra gets here," she stated, grabbing her friend by the wrist. "Come on."

Asami led Bolin to her scooter, and after convincing him to hop on, made the short drive to the Sato mansion. He followed her through various hallways and up the stairway to her private quarters, into her bathroom.

"I've always liked this bathroom, 'Sami," Bolin said smugly. "It's so luxurious." Asami shot him a look.

"I wonder what makes you say that," she responded flatly, turning on the faucet of the sink she was standing in front of before bending over and splashing the water on her face. During this lapse in conversation, both the heiress and the earthbender's minds reflected on their intimate experience in this bathroom six months before.

* * *

"_I fucking love this steam shower," Bolin commented as he backed a naked Asami into the stream of warm water, hands at her waist._

"_I'll be sure to tell my dad you said that," Asami laughed, with one of her hands entwined in the earthbender's wet hair and the other holding his shoulder._

"_But that would ruin the fun of keeping our little secret," Bolin returned, lifting Asami onto his hips before turning around and pressing her against the fogged glass containing the shower area. He nibbled on her ear as they lined their genitalia and she slowly lowered herself onto his erection._

"_Fuck, 'Sami, you're so wet," he grunted into her ear as she let him venture further into her folds._

"_We are in a shower, babe" Asami teased, moving her hands to cup his face before pulling him into an aggressive kiss. She broke the kiss and guided his head down to her breasts. He obliged her nonverbal command and nipped at the delicate mounds of flesh on her chest. She started moving herself up and down his member as his mouth continued focusing on her breasts._

"_Oh, spirits," he breathed into her chest. The heiress smirked at this utterance from her partner. _

"_Harder, Bolin," she commanded. The nineteen-year-old obeyed, tightening his grip on her hips to bring her down on him faster, with more force. She wrapped her legs around his hips to take some of the weight off of his arms. He pressed her harder against the glass and continued thrusting. _

"_Yeah, you like it rougher, don't you?" Bolin teased as he continued his efforts._

"_Unh, you know I do, baby," Asami moaned._

* * *

When Asami had patted her face dry and went to one of her drawers to get out her makeup, she noticed Bolin staring at the glass door to the steam shower. She smirked.

"Maybe if you stare hard enough, it will happen again, perv," she taunted. Bolin came out of his daydream and blushed.

"Hey, it could," he smiled sheepishly. Asami closed one of her eyes and applied her usual eyeshadow.

"Sometimes I get the impression that I'm the best you've ever had," she said suggestively, applying shadow to her other eye.

"Well I don't know about _the_ best, but I'd say you're pretty far up there," the earthbender remarked casually.

"Gee, thanks," Asami commented sarcastically.

"Oh come on, 'Sami," he stepped toward her as she applied mascara to her lashes. "You know I'm just goofing around." She finished off her eyelashes and turned to her friend as she grabbed her red tube of lipstick.

"So am I," she said awkwardly, before coating her lips with the red stain.

Before the situation could get more uncomfortable, the growl of a skybison sounded from outside, cueing Asami and Bolin to exit her room and head to the back patio of the estate.

"Hey there, lovebirds!" Korra called out to her friends before hopping off Oogi's head and landing on the ground in front of them. She then pulled them into a hug, so she didn't notice the blush on their cheeks, signifying their embarrassment from the comment.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long... again. I got stuck on this chapter for the longest time! I decided to make it longer to make up for my lack of updating in a while. I'm hoping I'll have the next chapter up relatively soon... but life is messy, so who knows? Anyways, please continue to read and review! I do take constructive criticism very well :)**


	8. Chapter 8

A playful giggle escaped Bolin's apartment above the pro-bending arena. Although Mako and Bolin had moved back in to their apartment after the failed equalist revolution had finally been settled, Mako had moved out to get an apartment closer to the police station, in a nicer section of town. Bolin decided to stay in the apartment for the views, the cheap rent, and its close proximity to his favorite bar. The laughter of a giddy young coed echoed through the apartment from the loft where Bolin's bed lay.

"Oh, Bolin, you are just too much fun," the young woman, clad only in her red pair of panties, giggled under Bolin's touch. The earthbender smiled and continued kissing her neck as his hands explored her exposed breasts. The lights from the outside of the arena dimly lit the room.

"Care to see how much more fun I can get?" He cooed as his experienced fingers ghosted down his partner for the evening's body, venturing closer to her folds. Her giggles turned into soft moans as his fingers ventured into her core after removing her panties. He lowered his mouth onto one of her breasts and teased the nipple with his tongue. Her moans grew louder. He teased her insides with one finger while his other gave attention to her aroused clitoris, prompting a throaty groan from the brunette he was sharing his bed with. He could only continue his actions for another few minutes before his partner made an enticing proposal.  
"Mmh, can we have sex now?" She asked, holding her breath as his tongue explored her other nipple.

"Oh I'm sorry, I don't oblige a lady who isn't begging for it," the earthbender smiled, placing some light kisses on her throat.

"Oh, come on, Bolin, you know exactly what you want to do to me," the brunette stated breathily as his fingers continued working their magic on her.

"You're right, honey. I know what _I_ want to do to you. But what do _you_ want me to do to you?" Bolin asked, one hand still working on his partner.

"Mmh, I want… unh, I want you to fuck me," she struggled to say. Bolin laughed softly into her breast, choosing not to respond to her request. She bit her lip in an attempt to silence her moan before speaking again. "Mmm, come on….please, Bolin…"

"Are you trying to use manners, honey? You know that's not how it works with me," Bolin cooed, looking up at his attractive coed's face.

"Ah… Bolin…" She tried to express herself but his fingers continued stroking her just right.

"Didn't catch that," he smiled, bringing his lips back up to her neck. She grunted for a few moments before snapping.

"Stop fucking touching me if you're not gonna have sex with me," she growled. The earthbender grinned coyly as his partner uttered the cue he had been waiting for. Bolin grabbed his partner and flipped her over onto her stomach. He then grabbed her hips and pulled them up off of the mattress and lined himself up with her entrance. He touched the head of his member to her wet core. He opened his mouth to utter another cheeky remark but his partner slammed herself down onto him. The time for teasing was over. Now was the time for raw, passionate sex.

He thrust into her over and over again until she screamed as her release washed over her. He followed shortly after. The pair rested on Bolin's bed before the earthbender decided to venture into the kitchen for some water.

"I'll be right back," he said to his very relaxed sexual partner, who didn't seem to mind that he was leaving her alone in his bed. She nodded absentmindedly and stared at the ceiling in bliss.

Bolin climbed down the ladder from his loft to the area of the apartment that functioned as the kitchen. As he got two glasses out from a cabinet and filled them with ice and water, he found himself thinking about his friend, the queen of industry.

"_Do you think anyone saw us come up here?" the heiress asked Bolin as they lay together in her bed at the Sato estate in post-coital bliss._

"_I don't think so, baby," Bolin answered into her neck before planting a rough kiss. _

"_Hey, hey, no hickies, Bo," Asami pushed the naked earthbender off her. "People see me and my neck all the time and scarves don't fool anyone."_

"_Aw, but you know you like it," the earthbender whined and lowered his lips to her chest where he resumed his aggressive form of affection, biting and sucking on her breasts._

"_Mmm, I do," she smiled as her sexual partner for the evening marked his territory on the delicate skin of her chest._

"_You know, 'Sami, I rather like this arrangement we have together," Bolin stopped his kisses after a few minutes of silence had passed between the two._

"_I have to agree with you there. Sneaking around makes it more fun," Asami returned. "Korra and Mako would be livid if they found out, not to mention the press would have a field day."_

"_I always forget how closely the papers watch you," Bolin mused, gently running his hands over Asami's body, stopping to further explore areas he deemed worthy. "Nobody cares about old Bolin, ex-pro-bender." _

"_You should be so lucky," the queen of industry returned. "Let's go back to the party, I need more alcohol in my system to properly recover from this week." Bolin sat up, taking his hands off the beautiful woman who lay next to him in bed._

"_That is a great idea," Bolin answered._

Bolin was roused from his sleep by the sensation of lips around his member.

_What a way to wake up_, the earthbender thought to himself, eyes still shut. His sexual partner continued her actions, bobbing her head up and down his length, increasing the pace as she went.

"Mmm," Bolin moaned. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He hissed as his pending orgasm got closer and closer. The familiar pressure built up in both his erection and his head, and he threw his head back to groan. "Oh, Asami!" He grunted as he finished into the eager mouth of his partner. His partner immediately tensed up and sat back up in the bed.

"Asami? Are you _serious_, Bolin?" a girl who was most definitely not Asami yelled, causing Bolin to open his eyes and realize that he was still with the young brunette from the previous night.

"I…I mean…" Bolin stammered, but his partner had already stood up from the bed and was putting her clothes back on in a rush.

"Don't start with me, pal. Consider yourself lucky for last night, because this is _never_ going to happen again," she huffed and climbed down the ladder.

"Hey, wait, where are you going?" the earthbender called out as she stomped out of the apartment.

"Spirits! You don't even remember my name, do you?" she yelled.

"Of course I remember your name!" Bolin yelled back from his loft, prompting the young brunette to stop in her tracks and turn to face him. "It's… uh…April?" The angry grunt and death glare the young brunette shot him in response to this reaction confirmed that he had not guessed her name. She turned around on her heels, stormed out of the apartment, and slammed the door behind her.

"Nice one, Bolin," the earthbender groaned to himself, alone in his bed. Before he had enough time to internalize what had just taken place and feel even worse, the rotary phone on the windowsill next to his bed began to ring. He picked up the receiver and microphone and held them up to his ear and mouth, respectively.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bo!" the avatar greeted her friend excitedly from the other end of the line.

"Korra! Back so soon?" Bolin returned.

"Yeah, Republic City just seems to be the place where the Avatar belongs. Plus, I think Tenzin and his family missed me," Korra responded. Bolin laughed.

"I did miss your snappy attitude, Korra," he said. "Asami had a ritzy party last week and since you weren't there, I had to go with Mako."

"You went to a party with that wet blanket?" Korra laughed. "I'm sure you at least had some fun with Asami."

"Well we did dance a little bit," Bolin smiled.

"Oooo, Bolin!" Korra teased. She knew of the crush he tried to hide from everyone else. He hadn't told her about the few times that he and Asami had gotten romantically entangled, but the avatar just seemed to know.

"But then General Iroh showed up and they 'disappeared' for a while," Bolin continued, trying his best to ignore his friend's comment. "And then a crazy fight broke out on the dance floor!"

"Oh, shit! Did your manliness break it up?" Korra questioned.

"Well Mako and I tried to but it got pretty crazy, so I had to go retrieve Asami from her bedroom," Bolin responded.

"She was already in the bedroom with him?" Korra sounded more excited than angry, like Bolin felt she should be. He knew how jealous the Avatar was of Asami for being able to see the General of the United Forces naked.

"Yeah, you know they have that…stuff…. For each other," Bolin put together awkwardly.

"You mean chemistry?" Korra said. Bolin shrugged.

"I guess," He responded. "But anyways after Iroh and Asami came downstairs they broke up the fight, and then the police came and made her shut down the party. She was pretty embarrassed about the whole thing."

"Wow, that really sucks. You know how much pressure her coworkers and business partners are gonna be putting on her over this," Korra commented. "But anyways, enough gossip. I was calling because I don't want to stop eating water tribe food just yet, and I know you'd be the first to help me make some." Bolin smiled as he considered this offer.

"Yeah, that sounds great! What time do you want me over?" he questioned.

"Be here at like 12:30," she answered.

"Sounds swell! See you then!" Bolin answered and hung up his receiver after exchanging goodbyes with the Avatar. He laid back in his bed again and contemplated his life for the past few days. He'd just gotten a new job at the local pet store and was pretty excited about that. Asami's party was pretty awesome, and the fact that he got to smash some things up because there was a fight was a pretty nice plus. And he got to watch Asami kick some ass. He wished that the heiress and his brother got along better. He still felt bad about blurting out to her about Mako and Korra's kiss. In retrospect, they really shouldn't have trusted him to keep the secret anyways. Asami just looked so hurt when she discovered the truth for the first time.

The rotary phone rang again.

"Bolin residence," Bolin answered, holding the receiver and earpiece up to the respective parts of his head.

"Hey Bo, change of plans. I'm gunna come get you and Asami from the Estate at 12:30," Korra stated flatly.

"Oh, okay. I'll just head over there then, I guess," Bolin responded somewhat awkwardly. Korra laughed.

"Okay, see you later! Oh, and bring meat!" She answered. Before she hung up he heard Jinora and Ikki's squeals.

* * *

The Avatar and her friends flew over Yue Bay on Oogi, Tenzin's skybison.

"So, how was the South Pole?" Bolin asked.

"Cold," Korra responded with a shrug. "And boring."

"Didn't you have some festival though? I bet that was fun," Asami chimed in.

"It's always really hard to deal with my Dad when Uncle Unalaq is around. He gets so competitive and is always worried about how he looks in comparison to his brother, _Chief of the Northern Tribe_. He's convinced he comes off to the public as an uncultured peasant. I mean, he produced the Avatar, I think his accomplishments balance out," Korra griped. Bolin nodded his head in understanding.

"We all can't be saints like you, Korra," Asami joked, smirking at the Avatar.

"Too bad," Korra shot back, "life goes pretty smoothly when everyone loves you." She smirked back.

"Well lucky for you guys, you're hot girls. Life sucks for us older bachelors," Bolin mused, laying back in the saddle with his hands behind his head.

"Shut up, Bo, you're younger than both of us," Asami responded. The three friends laughed together. Oogi growled as he started to descend towards the island. The earthbender sat up and watched the ground get closer and closer to the skybison's feet. The trio hopped off the giant creature and the Avatar led them toward the main building on the island.

After the group had arrived in the kitchen, Korra turned around to face her friends.

"You brought the meat, right Bolin?" She asked, facing her green-clad friend. His toothy grin answered her question as the muscular young man held up his basket full of arctic hen and other water tribe traditional meats. For the next hour, the water tribeswoman instructed her friends on how to prepare a proper water tribe meal, complete with stewed sea prunes and five-flavor soup. The trio sat down at the table to enjoy the fruits of their labor when Ikki came running in to the kitchen.

"Hello, Korra! Hi, Asami! Hey, Bolin!" She called out their names in a quick succession. Asami and Bolin mumbled an awkward 'hello' with full mouths in return.

"Asami's got a phone call!" Ikki stated excitedly.

"From the factory?" the heiress responded, standing up.

"From General _Iroh_," Ikki practically sang. Korra gasped in excitement and Bolin sighed. The CEO of Future Industries found herself blushing behind her smile.

"Oh, well, I'll be right back, guys," she said and followed Ikki the two flights of stairs down to the phone. The young airbender extended her arms like a biplane and ran out of the room, back towards the kitchen, after Asami had gotten the phone and picked up the microphone and receiver.

"Hello there," she cooed, smiling into the phone.

"Good Afternoon, Miss Asami," Iroh greeted back. "I'm quite surprised not to find you at the factory." Asami laughed softly.

"My test runs this morning went rather well so I've decided to take the afternoon off. Did you show up hoping to surprise me?" She questioned.

"I hate to admit that I did, but showing up doesn't produce the same 'wow' factor if the young lady you're trying to impress isn't there," Iroh teased.

"Oh, hush. We were just about to eat, so I'll probably be back at the factory in an hour and a half or so," she returned.

"I should be just finishing up my meeting with Chief Beifong and the head of the Special Officers Unit around then," the General said. "Perhaps you should take the whole rest of the day off and show me your new Satomobile model."

"Maybe I will. See you at the racetracks then?" She questioned.

"You will," He affirmed. "Have a nice lunch, Miss Asami. Send Avatar Korra and Bolin my salutations."

"We'll be sure to have a good time. Good luck in your meeting. If you do well you might get a repeat of this morning as reward," she added suggestively.

"Oh? Well then I'd better start preparing my statements now, shouldn't I?" Iroh teased back, trying to play it cool, although the heiress could hear the excitement in his voice. She laughed.

"See you this afternoon, General," she stated before ending the phone call.

Asami returned to a table full of food with her friends who were attempting to politely wait for her arrival to eat. Korra had managed to abstain, but Bolin nervously laid a half-eaten drumstick of arctic hen on his plate when the heiress entered the room. Asami laughed.

"Bo, you know I don't care. Keep eating," she said as she sat down. Bolin nodded and resumed stuffing his face with water tribe cuisine.

"I don't know how this one stays in shape," Korra commented, gesturing towards the earthbender. "I know you and I train hard all the time but I haven't seen him do much of anything in the past few months." The avatar was teasing, of course, but Bolin quickly swallowed his mouthful to retaliate.

"I'll have you know, I just got a job at the pet store by the university!" He interjected, pausing before adding, "And in case you guys forgot, I live above the gym at the pro-bending arena; I work out like every day!" Korra and Asami laughed.

"So that explains how your biceps haven't deteriorated," Korra mused. Bolin shot a confused look at the avatar.

"Uh, thanks for the creepiest compliment I've ever received in my life?" Bolin returned. The girls sitting at the table with him laughed.

"Sorry, I should have explained. Ikki has _quite_ the little crush on you," Korra said. "She says sweet yet creepy things about you all the time. I mean, she's ten." Bolin smiled.

"Aw really? That is so awesome! I should encourage her and stuff, she'll probably listen to anything I have to say," He gushed. Bolin always liked Ikki, he thought she was funny. Of course, he didn't like her like _that_. She was ten. Plus there was Asami, who was his age, who seemed to enjoy his company.

"No, don't treat her any differently! She'd kill me if she found out I exposed her," Korra responded. Bolin shrugged indifferently, and another thought popped into the avatar's head. "Speaking of having secrets exposed," she started, "How was your very public date with General Iroh yesterday?" Asami blushed.

"Oh, come on. You know how much I hate thinking about the press' obsession with me in my professional life; don't bring it into my personal life as well," Asami returned.

"Oh, they only write about you when there's no major press scandals or police raids to fill the space in their paper," Korra stated calmly. "I don't think anyone ever takes the stories about you seriously."

"My father certainly does," Asami returned, shocking her friends into a brief moment of silence.

"Do you still visit him?" Bolin finally broke the silence.

"About every two months or so, yeah," Asami answered, picking up her bowl of five-flavored soup and taking a sip.

"Wait, why didn't we know this?" Korra questioned. Asami had some more soup before answering.

"I don't like to talk about it very much," Asami responded shyly. "My father and I still have our differences and not every visit goes very well." Bolin grabbed a bowl of noodles and guided some onto his plate with chopsticks before placing some noodles on Asami's plate as well. The heiress smiled at this seemingly simple gesture because she knew this was Bolin's way of showing he cared.

"He still hates you for associating with benders?" Korra coined, sounding irritated with the idea.

"Well it's a little more complicated than that, but basically, yes," Asami answered, placing some dumplings on her plate. She noticed Bolin's puppy-dog eyes as she did so, so she used her dining utensils to place one in his mouth. He hummed happily, and enjoyed his treat. "But he's still the best person to go to whenever I need business advice."

"That makes sense," Bolin mused with a full mouth.

"Yes it does. Can we just eat now? I'm starving," Asami changed the subject, posing an idea that Bolin and Korra didn't seem too opposed to. The rest of the meal was eaten between conversation and laughter.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey guys, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I've been struggling with it for a while, plus this semester has been insane! But I want you to know that I'm not abandoning you, dear readers, I'm just busy and picky! Anyways, I wanted to show some things from Bolin's perspective for a little bit. Because I love him. And I haven't forgotten about Tahno. He's coming back up soon. Anyways, I hope it doesn't take me too long to write the next chapter but I'm not making any promises! Well, besides the promise I have to you guys that I have not abandoned this story! And thanks for the reviews, they do inspire me to keep writing!**


	9. Chapter 9

"I've got to hand it to you, Korra," Asami said, placing her chopsticks on her empty plate, "Your water tribe cuisine is always better than Narook's." Korra blushed out of pride as she spooned more stewed sea prunes into her bowl.

"Thanks, Asami," Korra accepted the compliment graciously. "It's always nice to know that growing up in the Southern Water Tribe makes me a better chef than some guy who started a restaurant here."

"Well now," Asami started playfully, "I didn't say you were a better chef. I just said your water tribe food tastes better than his." Korra laughed.

"Touche, 'Sami," she responded with a full mouth. Bolin took his last few bites before dropping his chopsticks dramatically on his plate.

"I can't eat anymore," He commented. "I just can't. It's so good that I wish I could keep eating…_forever_." Asami smiled.

"Hearing you say that is always a rarity, Bo," the heiress mused. He smiled. Korra slurped up the last of her soup before setting her bowl down on the table and sitting back, signaling the end of her meal as well.

"It's so nice to eat this food somewhere that isn't freezing all the time," the Avatar commented as she stared up at the ceiling in thought.

"Thank the spirits it's summertime in Republic City," Asami agreed. Bolin nodded silently.

"Well," Korra stated, standing up. "Shall I take you back to the factory?"

"That would be nice; I have a special guest waiting for me there," Asami smiled and allowed Korra to react with an eager expression.

"I gotta go to the bathroom," Bolin inserted into the conversation. "Don't leave without me, okay?" Korra nodded to the earthbender and he left the room.

"Bolin told me he retrieved you and Iroh from your private quarters at your party the other night," Korra started, "You gunna give me the details?" Asami blushed.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell," Asami uttered.

"Bullshit," Korra returned quickly. Asami found herself blushing yet again.

"Later. You know Bolin doesn't want to hear it," the heiress responded. Korra nodded.

"We'll have to catch up tomorrow," the Avatar said, winking. Asami nodded. "I hate that you get to see that man shirtless every time he comes to the city."

"You know, the last time I checked, you had a boyfriend named Mako," Asami spoke. Korra smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, I may love him, but he's boring. And overbearing at times. And also nowhere near as good looking as the General of the United Forces," Korra stated choppily. Asami smiled and decided to not add anything else to the list of flaws she knew her ex-boyfriend to have.

Bolin entered the room, looking slightly irritated.

"Alright, back to the City!" He proclaimed, throwing his fist in the air. Korra and Asami chuckled at their friend's eccentricity and headed down the stairs to the main patio of the island where Oogi waited for them.

"Doesn't Tenzin need Oogi too?" Asami wondered aloud as she climbed back into the saddle atop the furry beast.

"Nah, he's got the day off," the Avatar answered. "I think he's been spending it romancing his wife. The kids have been running around the island unsupervised all day."

"Ew," Bolin commented automatically. Korra and Asami reacted to this statement by erupting into laughter before Korra called out the typical sky-bison command.

"Yip, yip!" Korra yelled and Oogi ascended into the air above Yue Bay again. She turned around to the passengers in the saddle behind her.

"Where do you want me to drop you off, Asami?" She asked.

"By the racetracks would be great," Asami returned, and Korra nodded.

"Be honest, 'Sami, do you spend so much time on the racetracks because you need to be testing your new model, or because you love driving?" Bolin asked playfully, cocking an eyebrow. Asami smiled.

"Well, testing models is important, but I could just hire some people and trust their word about said models. So, I guess it's really just because I'm so damned frugal," she answered. Bolin and Korra laughed at their friend's spunk.

"You know, it's funny, but I always feel really strongly connected to Avatar Aang whenever I ride a skybison with you guys," Korra said calmly. Asami and Bolin looked up at their friend. "He and his friends did spend a lot of time in the air, I guess."

"Maybe his spirit's picking up on the 'friendship and flying' vibes," Bolin commented, half serious and half joking.

"That has to be what it is," Asami joined. "And honestly, I'd be pretty cross if we didn't give you those vibes, Korra." The avatar turned to her friends and smiled.

"Man, ever since I connected with Aang's spirit, I've been so touchy-feely and shit," Korra said coyly.

"I like how you remind us that you're still Korra after your spiritual breakthroughs," Bolin said. Asami giggled. Oogi growled as he descended to the grassy fields just outside the Future Industries racetracks.

"Oh, whaddaya know, General Iroh is here waiting for you!" Korra exclaimed excitedly as she noticed the red-clad General standing by the maintenance pits. She tugged on the skybison's reigns and redirected his descent to the racetrack itself. Oogi groaned again in response, altering his course. Asami looked at Bolin for a moment to make a few seconds of awkward eye contact. He hoped she didn't notice how jealous he was of the General. She found herself wondering if he could possibly look any more irritated with her guest's presence. Oogi landed on the ground and Korra hopped off immediately, landing gently next to Iroh thanks to her airbending.

"General Iroh!" She said excitedly, pulling him into a hug. Asami and Bolin dismounted Oogi's saddle and joined the firebender and the Avatar on the ground.

"Avatar Korra," Iroh returned. "It's nice to see you again." After they pulled apart, the smile on the Avatar's face remained.

"How's the United Forces going for you?" Korra asked.

"I can't complain," Iroh answered. "I get to travel the world in a ship that I command, and I get to visit to Republic City every so often."

"That sounds amazing," Korra commented dreamily, clearly starstruck. Bolin cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Ah, Bolin, I almost forgot myself," Iroh said, approaching the earthbender and shaking his hand in salutation. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good," Bolin responded somewhat awkwardly. He and Iroh had gotten to know each other back during the equalist revolution when they were tied to each other's backs in a prison cell for two hours. They had always had a bond since, but never really kept in touch. After all, the General was a busy man who traveled a lot. Bolin had noticed that Iroh always seemed to know what Asami was up to, and as she had mentioned her 'pen pal' around her nonchalantly, he pieced it together. It just didn't make any sense to the earthbender why if he was actually in the city with Asami, being a gentleman to her all the time, she was so taken with the General. Them and their damned 'chemistry,' as Korra would say.

"I got a job at the pet store by the university," Bolin added calmly.

"Congratulations! You always have had a way with animals," Iroh returned kindly. Bolin smiled, remembering that the red-clad man before him was extremely charismatic. "Speaking of which, where's Pabu?"

"Oh, one of my… uh, _lady friends_ has a real thing for animals as well," Bolin responded. Iroh smirked knowingly but decided not to comment on the matter. "She's been borrowing him for the last week or so."

"It's a shame I didn't get to see him during this visit to the Capitol," Iroh mused. Bolin nodded. Korra still stood, somewhat awkwardly, beside Bolin, her eyes fixated on Iroh. Asami stood next to the General during this conversation.

"Yeah, next time," the earthbender commented. There was a brief moment of silence as Asami and Iroh smiled at each other.

"Good afternoon, Miss Asami," Iroh greeted formally.

"Nice to see you today, General," Asami returned. Bolin awkwardly looked to the Avatar, who still gazed dreamily at Iroh.

"Well, uh, Korra and I really hafta get going," the words stumbled out of the nineteen-year-old's mouth. Korra started to come out of her trance.

"Yeah, we sure do!" she added awkwardly, making no attempt to walk away.

"Well, it was a pleasure seeing you two," Iroh noted.

"Likewise," Korra breathed.

"Yeah, have a good one, Mr. General, sir," Bolin teased, grabbing Korra by the elbow and pulling her back towards Oogi. She struggled at first but eventually followed and the two climbed back on the skybison.

"Bye guys! Thanks for lunch!" Asami called to her friends before the Avatar uttered the command for the hairy beast to ascend into the sky.

"Well, that was sufficiently awkward," the heiress stated flatly once the two were alone.

"What, that? You don't know awkward unless you've grown up in the royal palace," Iroh returned, with a warm smile.

"What could possibly be awkward about growing up in the royal palace?" Asami asked, eager for what was sure to be an entertaining answer. He always had such fascinating stories.

"Everyone expects you to be so charismatic, and stares at you all the time," he said. "I wasn't allowed to even walk anywhere. Everyone had this perfect image of me that I was always pressured into upholding." Asami listened silently as Iroh opened up to her.

"But what made life especially awkward was how I always had guards with me at all times. Even on dates. Can you imagine being fifteen, on your first date, and having four palace guards following you everywhere you go?" He responded.

"I bet you got a goodnight kiss that made everything worth it," Asami said sweetly, gesturing for him to follow her to the satomobile she had been working on earlier that day. Iroh smiled and shrugged, unsure how else to respond to Asami's statement.

"Wanna go for a spin?" She asked as they approached the vehicle.

"And be one of the first to experience your newest racecar model?" Iroh asked excitedly. "I'd love to."

"Great. I need to check out some things up at the air field, so we'll-"Asami started.

"Be driving into the mountains on your favorite road at a terrifying speed?" Iroh teased.

"Well, it's not so terrifying for me, but yes," Asami answered with a smile. She gave him a gentle peck on the cheek before handing him a helmet and a pair of goggles. He accepted the headgear and put it on, stepping into the satomobile after Asami had gotten behind the wheel.

* * *

After an excess of speed and many curves in the road later, Asami pulled the satomobile into a parking space beside the main workshop at the airfield. Iroh climed out of the vehicle first, extending his hand to Asami to assist her getting out of the car in a graceful manner. She accepted and led him inside the workshop. Iroh explored the floor, which had various biplane models and fold-out tables with blueprints strewn across them, until he arrived at the corner if the room opposite the entrance to the workshop.

"I know I've told you this before, but I really love what you've done with the place," Iroh commented as he approached the room that Asami had converted from the holding cell they had been imprisoned in during the equalist revolution into her personal office at the airfield. He opened the sliding door to enter the room. She had placed a desk on one corner, and a full-sized bed on the other side. During her first few months as CEO, Asami had spent many nights napping at her desk between making calculations and adjustments to the new biplane models, and had finally decided to invest in a bed for her second office. A small rock fountain sat against the wall between the bed and the desk, babbling softly. Asami stopped at the doorway and watched her General walk over to the bed, throwing himself onto it dramatically.

"Such a comfortable bed," he mused, looking at the heiress. She smirked but didn't move.

"C'mere. You look tired too," Iroh said after a moment of silence. Asami obliged and entered the room, sliding the door shut behind her. She grabbed a stick of incense and an incense holder. It was a small stone elephant whose trunk had a hole at the end to hold the end of the scented stick, a present Bolin had carved for her with his earthbending for her twentieth birthday. The heiress approached the bed and held out the stick of incense to General Iroh. He sat up and pinched the tip of the stick between his fingers, heating it just enough to glow red and produce the relaxing scented smoke. Asami smiled and placed the incense in its holder, set the tiny elephant on her desk, kicked off her shoes, and joined Iroh on her bed. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He laid a gentle peck on the crown of her head before putting his head back on the mattress.

"I only have you to blame for my lack of energy and attentiveness today," Iroh mused.

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who kept waking me up last night," Asami smiled.

"It's hard to stay asleep when a beautiful woman is lying naked next to you," Iroh defended himself. "How are you not exhausted right now?"

"I've been using adrenaline spikes to keep alert," Asami teased, poking her lover's chest playfully. "I am pretty sleepy though," she added.

"If driving the way you did on the way up here didn't give you an adrenaline rush, I don't know what would," Iroh laughed softly. Asami chose not to respond, but instead rolled off of Iroh onto her side, facing away from the firebender in her bed. She reached back behind her and grabbed his arm, guiding him to turn facing her until his arm was draped over her and the two were in the spooning position. He brushed the hair off her neck and laid a series of gentle, passionate kisses.

"Fun time later," Asami murmured, eyes closed. "Nap time now."

"Aw, but wouldn't it be more fun if we had…uh… 'fun' now, as well as later?" Iroh persuaded, tracing the curve of her hips beneath his fingertips.

"Fun's no fun if I pass out from exhaustion instead of coming," Asami brought up a valid point. The general pondered this for a moment.

"Fine. Sleep now. But we are going to have a lot of 'fun' later to make up for it," Iroh finally decided. He laid one last kiss on Asami's exposed neck before falling back and closing his eyes as well, inhaling the sweet scent of the heiress' shampooed hair and incense before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Asami awoke an hour later to Iroh's gentle kisses on her neck and the scent of another burning stick of incense. She yawned quietly and readjusted herself.

"Afternoon, General," she said groggily. He should know it takes a lot to wake her up.

"Afternoon, Miss Asami," Iroh returned, running his hands lightly over her clothed breasts as he continued kissing her neck. "How did you sleep?"

"I wish I was still sleeping," she mumbled.

"Pardon me?" Iroh stopped kissing her neck and sat up on the bed. She blinked slowly at him from her spot on the bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean… you just… you know I'm a heavy sleeper," Asami stumbled over her words. Curse her inability to wake gracefully! Iroh smirked at the sleepy goddess on the bed beside him. He turned her so she lay on her back atop the bed and climbed over her, staring directly down at her.

"I know you need a lot of 'rousing' to fully wake up," he said cockily, lowering his head to hers and joining their lips. He kissed his way down her body until he planted his lips on her clothed hips. His fingers arrived at the waistline of her skirt and unzipped the hidden zipper on her left hip that held the piece of clothing in place, pulling it down past her ankles in a fluid, but slow, movement.

At this point Iroh brought Asami's hips to the edge of the bed as he knelt down before her, his lips level with her center. He kissed his way up her legs until his mouth met the barrier of her underwear. He took the fabric between his teeth and pulled her panties down to her thighs before pulling them off the rest of the way with his hands. He kissed his way back to her nether lips from her thighs. His tongue traced from the edge of her entrance to her clitoris, eliciting a moan from Asami's lips. He repeated this action and listened to his mistress's purrs. As her sexual urges began to wake her up, the heiress' core became wetter. In response to this, Iroh brought a finger to her entrance and ran it along the outside as his tongue encircled her clit.

"Mmmh, Baby," Asami uttered involuntarily. Iroh slowly inched his finger into her center as he licked and suckled her most sensitive area.

"Oh, Iroh," She spoke, finally broken from her spell of sleepiness, breathing heavily. He withdrew his finger and pressed it back into her. "Unh, I love the way you do this," She grunted a compliment as he picked up the pace with his finger. Iroh smiled and exhaled a breath of hot air over her genitals, prompting another involuntary exclamation from his partner. He added a second finger to her core and pressed in again, prompting Asami to run her fingers through his hair and tug in an attempt to express her satisfaction with his actions. He thrust again, causing the heiress to gasp in ecstasy. She pressed her feet down against the bed, trying not to writhe in pleasure. Iroh continued alternating between sucking, licking, and pecking Asami's clitoris as his fingers continued thrusting into her wet, tight center. The taste on his tongue, teeth, and lips in addition to the thought of where exactly his fingers were at the current moment added to his growing erection. She continued pulling at his hair, crooning his name repeatedly, louder and louder each time. He brushed his fingertips over a special rough spot inside of her, causing the heiress to call out in pleasure. He repeated the action, this time eliciting a delighted scream. He thrust his fingers into her center again, as his tongue pressed roughly against her clitoris, and touched the magic spot in her center one last time, causing Asami to scream her lover's name at the top of her lungs before her world went white. Her successive breaths came hard and heavy. Iroh sat back up on the bed, giving his knees a break.

Asami slowly came back to reality and noticed the general sitting on the bed next to her, where she was laying down in post-orgasmic bliss.

"I hope there's no one working up here," Iroh commented, returning her gaze.

"I didn't have anyone scheduled to be here," Asami said, resting her hands on her stomach. Iroh smiled at the heiress for a moment without saying anything before she noticed what he had implied. "It's hard not to express the… _joy_ your actions give me."

"Your compliment has been well received," The General responded, leaning down over Asami to kiss her lips. She melted underneath him. She simply could not believe such a gentleman existed. Moments like this were what made the months of dealing with the stress and loneliness of separation worth it. She parted her lips, giving his tongue entry into her mouth. She lost herself in the passion of the kiss, overwhelmed by the emotions flowing through her body. He slid a hand under her head to bring her closer to him as he put his weight on his elbow on the bed next to Asami's shoulder. She took his lead and gently pressed his shoulder down onto the bed as she climbed on top of him, her top half clothed and her bottom half exposed, without breaking the kiss. She pulled back from the kiss for a moment but the lack of contact felt wrong. He seemed to share this feeling, for he guided her chin back down to his to reconnect their lips. The warm, swirling, overwhelming feeling returned as soon as she was reunited with his soft lips. He trailed his fingers from her chin to her hair and lightly ran his fingers through her tousled strands, his touch spreading the warmth across her body. She nibbled on his lower lip, tightening her grip on his shoulder. How could the man underneath her exist? He was too perfect. Iroh II, the driven, young successful General of the United Forces Navy, who just so happened to be the prince of the Fire Nation. But he was so much more than that, too. He was a smart, charming, and thoughtful man. He loved to cook and could handle his liquor well. He knew the pressure of living up to high societal expectations. He was an excellent ballroom dancer. And most important of all, he understood Asami. He listened to her when she talked and remembered little things about her, like her favorite style of painting and affinity for house plants.

Asami began to break away from the kiss but brought her lips back to his for a few last short pecks. She finally pulled back and sat on his hips, hands resting on his chest as the pair maintained eye contact. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

"I love you, Iroh," she admitted out loud for the first time. It was so strange to hear it outside her own head. _Too _strange. She found herself wondering if she'd come out with it too suddenly. Had she frightened him off? Iroh's soft chuckle eased her worried mind. She smiled.

"Asami Sato," he returned. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that." She leaned over and kissed the man beneath her. She withdrew again.

"I just…I don't know where to go from here," Asami found herself saying. "What are we supposed to do?"

"In a perfect world, we would be together," Iroh said at a low volume.

"But it's not a perfect world, Iroh," the heiress returned, her voice breaking when she uttered his name. "I have to stay in Republic City and run my company," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "And you have to stay with your fleet." A single tear made its way down her cheek. She couldn't believe she was crying right now. What the hell was going on with her lately? She was an open book; Asami Sato couldn't conceal any of her emotions in her current company. Iroh wiped her tear away with his thumb, following through with this motion to brush some hair behind her ear.

"We're married to our jobs," Iroh said. "And we're both needed in different places, you're right." He sat up on his elbows, still maintaining eye contact with the emerald-eyed goddess sitting atop him. "We can't be physically together, in the same place at the same time. Not for a little while, anyway." He sat up even further and pulled her closer to him. The General laid a gentle peck on Asami's cheek. "But we can be together through post, and more frequent visits," Iroh said hopefully. Asami laid another kiss atop his lips.

"I want that, more than anything," she responded. "But I just…I don't think it would work." It pained her to admit this statement. All the odds were against them. She certainly wasn't planning on resigning as CEO of Future industries any time soon, and she doubted he wanted to retire from his high military rank.

"I love you, Asami," he said solemnly. "I want to make this real. I want to make it work." The pair exchanged passionate kisses for a few minutes without speaking.

"How are we going to announce it to the press?" Asami finally asked.

"Do we need to deal with the press?" Iroh asked, half joking. "Can't we just do this between us and let them figure it out?" Asami smiled and nodded, returning to his lips. Another few minutes of liplock passed.

"Okay, but we have to lay down some ground rules," the heiress broke the kissing session again. Iroh sighed in disappointment to not be kissing his lover, but nodded in consent. "We have to write each other once a week," she started.

"Of course," Iroh agreed, wrapping his arms around her upper back and pulling her closer.

"We have to visit once every two months," Asami continued. "We can take turns for who sees who."

"Well, we might just have to keep a tally of who visits who and try to even it out as we go. Military is a sporatic business, you know," Iroh explained. Asami stared at him, pondering for a moment.

"Fine. But once every two months, okay?" she poked his chest for emphasis. Iroh began kissing her neck.

"Mmhmm," he agreed, speaking into the soft skin of her neck. She couldn't take the lovesick grin, that she was sure looked goofy, off her face.

"We have to talk on the phone once a month," she added. Iroh agreed into her collarbone.

"Should I be writing this down?" He teased.

"You should at least have it committed to memory," she said, pinching his shoulder in a playful manner. He continued kissing her neck, working his way up to her ear.

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered huskily into her ear before kissing and sucking on her earlobe. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention for a moment.

"One last rule," she said firmly.

"Anything," Iroh murmured into her ear as he continued to give it his affection.

"We have to have sex every time we see each other, even if we're mad or fighting," Asami explained. Iroh stopped kissing her ear to look her in the eye.

"You are the sexiest woman alive," he said, eyes twinkling. "I am so lucky to have your love." And with that, all discussion was over as lips, tongue, and teeth gnashed together in a fit of passion. She could have sworn he was getting hotter to the touch. Was that his bending or was that just her hormones raging out of control?

Asami unbuttoned the firebender's jacket, pulled it off, and tossed it aside without losing lip contact. She did the same with his shirt. Her hands trailed over his muscled chest, his abdomen, and his arms. She delicately lingered on the scar he had earned in the Battle of Yue Bay three years prior. He lowered his kisses to her neck as he tugged her business jacket off her shoulders. He pulled his lips away from her skin to pull her shirt off over her head, leaving the heiress before him clad only in a bra. Before she let him remove her last item of clothing, her hands unbuckled the belt on Iroh's waist and made fast work of unbuttoning and removing his pants. He returned to kissing her exposed flesh, planting soft kisses on her shoulders and collar bones. She coaxed his hardened member through his underwear before pulling his shorts off and exposing the part of him that she needed most. He unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, nipping at her exposed breasts as one hand teased her wet core. She enjoyed his motions for a moment before deciding she was ready for all of him. She pushed his hand away and raised herself up onto her knees from the General's lap. Her stare told him she was ready. He wordlessly lined up his member with her entrance and she slowly sat down into his lap. He was also sitting up in the bed, and the two pressed their chests together as he filled her and their lips pressed together. He tried to thrust into her, but couldn't get much movement. She bucked her hips against his as best she could, but for the most part, he filled her and moved only slightly inside of her. After a few minutes, the pair had figured out a rhythm where they rocked together slowly, but forcefully. She clawed at his back as he gripped her hips. Their thrusts synched with their rocking motion were really starting to add up. Asami could tell from Iroh's shakiness that he wasn't going to last much longer. He brought a hand to her breasts from her hips and teased her nipples, bringing her to the brink as well.

""Asami," he hissed into her ear. He nibbled on her earlobe as he continued teasing her nipples with the fingers of one hand and gently thrust into her.

"Oh, Iroh," she whispered back before everything went static as she reached the peak of her ecstasy. Her core muscles contracted against his member, sending Iroh tumbling over the edge as well. The pair sat together, still interlocked, foreheads touching, for a few minutes as they panted from their exercise.

"So," Asami finally said, breaking the silence, climbing off of her partner to collapse onto the bed on her stomach. Iroh laid down and turned towards her, lazily draping and arm over her back. "I take it, you vote 'yes' to our sex rule, then?"

Iroh laughed and pulled his lover close, laying another kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Definitely," He said.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey readers! Thanks so much for sticking with me this long... I must assure you guys that I am always working on this story I'm just picky about rereading stuff a million times and making it as good as it can be, sometimes I get stuck on certain parts... but anyways.**

**Sorry I got a little mushy in this chapter. I just love my OTP okay? And I feel like I didn't lay it on _too_ thick... okay well maybe I did. Sorry about it. **

**Anyways, please continue to read and review! I really appreciate them and I can also take criticism pretty well :D**


	10. Chapter 10

"This is our safest biplane model to date," Asami announced her company's most recent accomplishment as Iroh explored the hangar behind the workshop.

"She looks great," Iroh mused, staring at the piece of machinery in wonder. He knew a lot about ships, that was for sure, but he was always interested in the mechanics of new machinery. Asami had taught him a lot about car engines over the years, so he understood some things about biplanes, but not others. He was interested in piloting lessons, but the invention was so new and most of the men living in Republic City that knew how to pilot a plane were behind bars. There was a small, devoted team of pilots and engineers Asami had trained and appointed to work in the airfields a few times a week with her occasional interference, but other than that, most trained pilots were in the military, dispersed throughout the globe.

"Glad you think so, because you're getting in," Asami said, grabbing Iroh by the wrist loosely and guiding him over to the part of the hangar containing all the flying gear necessary for pilots. She handed him a leather helmet, goggles, gloves, a parachute, a leather flight jacket, and a pair of khakis that had padded thighs.

"Do I really need to wear these ridiculous things?" Iroh asked, holding up the pants.

"If the air up there is smooth, then no," Asami explained. "But we are flying by a mountain range and the airstreams surrounding mountains tends to be a little bumpy." Iroh sighed.

"Are we the only two up here?" he asked.

"Yes, all the parking spaces are empty besides mine," She answered. After this reassurance, Iroh unlaced his boots, dropped his pants, stepped into the aviator pants, and stepped back into his boots. Asami grabbed out her own special flying outfit and changed into it as well. After the pair were suited up, the heiress led the General out to the biplane and wheeled out a small staircase to make access to the seats easier.

"Okay, I'm going to need your help to get the engine started," Asami began. "I need you to stand in front of the propeller and give it a good spin when I say." She pushed up a large box about a foot and a half in front of the propeller and motioned to it, prompting for him to step up onto it to allow him better leverage on the spinning piece of machinery.

"Then, after it gets started, You need to hop off the box and push it away, like over there in front of the forklifts. Try not to get decapitated," Asami continued, motioning to the general area of the hangar where he was to place his stepping box. Iroh laughed at the calmness with which she said that statement. "After that, you'll need to run back over the plane and hop in from the staircase, but try and push it away from the plane a little bit as you hop in." Iroh went back through this list of his commands in his head before nodding in consent.

"Yes, Ma'am," he teased. Asami smiled and put her goggles down over her eyes, prompting the General to do the same. She tossed him his parachute pack and put on her own. After ascending the staircase and strapping into the pilot's seat, she called out to Iroh to spin the blades of the propeller. After she saw the blades give a single rotation, she started the engine and they continued spinning, picking up speed. She raised her eyebrows, impressed. Usually her other flying partners would have to try a few times before getting the proper amount of force, but Iroh got it on his first attempt.

The Fire Nation Prince hopped off the box, moved it over to the area Asami had designated, and jogged back over to the biplane. He climbed up the stairs and hopped into the passenger seat just behind the pilot's seat. Before releasing the brake, Asami turned around in her seat and leaned over to Iroh's seat. She double checked that he was strapped in properly, and then yelled to him over the roar of the engine that they wouldn't be able to talk in the air because of the fast winds and loud engine. He nodded eagerly, waiting to observe a true pro in action. The heiress then showed him all the hand grips she recommended he hold onto to keep him in the absolute center of his seat. He obliged and grabbed the handholds she had pointed out. She then sat down in her seat, strapped in, and released the brake. She steered the plane out of the hangar and out to the runway.

After lining up the plane and double checking all her instruments, Asami accelerated the plane down the runway and it lifted off the ground, ascending into the air above the mountains. Iroh watched in excited wonder as the landscape on the ground below him grew smaller and smaller. The winds were strong and cold, he noted, feeling grateful for his goggles and helmet, but the air also seemed very peaceful at the same time. Asami turned the biplane to the left to loop around to go back over the mountains. The aircraft flew over the mountain range and the coastal city, out towards Yue Bay. Iroh couldn't decide where to look: the beautiful landscape down below or the simple, yet beautiful, view of the clear blue sky and clouds around the plane in the air. Before he knew it, they were flying over the giant statue of Aang on the memorial island named after the previous Avatar. Asami pointed towards Air Temple Island, where Iroh noticed scattered sky bison flying around. One sky bison seemed to be getting closer, and after studying it for a few seconds longer, Iroh was able to determine that there was an orange blob on top of this flying animal that was, in fact, getting closer to them. After a few minutes, the General was able to make out that the orange blob was actually multiple orange dots that he assumed were the airbender kids riding on one of the island's skybison. A strange gust of wind swept by Asami and Iroh that carried the voice of Meelo, Councilman Tenzin's 8 year old son.

"Hello beautiful woman!" It said cheerily. Asami giggled. She could never fly past air temple island without receiving a few messages or commands from her not-so-secret admirer. The first time she flew over the island, Meelo tried to get Oogi right next to the plane, which proved rather stressful for both Asami, who was trying not to let the propellers on the wings to decapitate Oogi, and Tenzin, who had desperately tried to stop his eager son from the ground but was too slow to stop the boy and was forced to watch below. Since then, She suggested he keep a safe distance and use his bending to deliver her audible messages.

"Do a flip!" Meelo's excited voice came through with another gust of wind. Asami smiled and decided to oblige her little friend. She flipped a few gages and pulled up on the steering mechanism in the cockpit with her as hard as she could. Iroh watched in half-terror as the world revolved around the plane. Before he knew it, they were level again and Asami threw her fist up into the air to express her excitement. She then turned the plane to the left to loop back around in her return course for the airfield. She waved eagerly from the plane to signal her goodbye. Iroh waved as well, although he wasn't entirely sure the airbender kids could see him.

Before the General knew it, the plane was hitting a rough patch of air as it crossed over the mountains and began descending.

"So, what did you think?" The heiress asked after the couple was safely down on the ground.

"I think my new girlfriend is a talented pilot," he complimented. "And that flying is a lot less terrifying when you trust your pilot."

"Imagine the peace of mind you have when you're in control," Asami smiled, playfully nudging Iroh on the arm.

"I would love to learn to fly," Iroh mused, "but my home is at sea. The men of my ship need me. Piloting lessons are hard to come by in the middle of the ocean." Asami shrugged and walked back towards the locker room where their regular clothes lay. Iroh followed her, his head still spinning from the exhilaration of being in the air. He had flown before, but he'd never experienced anything quite like that. There was a peace up above the mountains of Republic City that was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. The calm of the seas just after a storm simply didn't compare. And of all people to show him this salvation, the woman he _loves_? He didn't know how to process this euphoria.

In the locker room, Asami removed her helmet and her hair cascaded down over her shoulders. Iroh watched dreamily as she turned and smiled at him. Before she could say anything about his dazed look, he hooked his fingers through his hair, cradling her head between his fingers, and pulled her toward him into a sweet, soft kiss. Asami returned his gentle sign of affection by backing her lover up into one of the lockers. They maintained liplock for a few minutes until Iroh's mouth began to travel southward to her neck. He unzipped her flight jacket and slid it off her shoulders before reaching his hands under her shirt and ghosting his hands up to her breasts. She allowed him to lift her shirt off her chest and he lowered his mouth to her chest, laying kisses on her breasts.

"How am I supposed to survive without your constant influxes of passion?" She commented as she tugged of his flight jacket. He laughed into her chest.

"You think about moments like this when you're lonely," He mused, lifting her into the air by her hips and turning around to press her into the row of lockers, resting her hips atop his. He unfastened her bra and tossed it aside as his lips and teeth explored her breasts. She could feel his hardened member pressed against her entrance through layers of clothing. He brought his hands to her derriere and tugged playfully at the belt loops of her pants. She started to unbuckle this item of clothing when the phone in her office started ringing. She tensed up and stopped what she was doing to listen.

_Brrrring_, it rang once. Iroh sighed and moved his kisses northwards, showering her neck with affection.

_Brrrrring,_ the phone rang a second time. The General stopped his kisses and looked at Asami.

"Don't stop," She pleaded. "If it's important, they'll let it ring more than four times."

_Brrrrring_, the phone rang its third time. Iroh still looked at Asami, slackening his grip on her hips.

_Brrrrring,_ the fourth rang called out into the heated silence between the pair. She looked in the direction of her office, and Iroh did the same, both hoping the ringing would stop.

_Brrrrring_, the phone rang for the fifth time, prompting Iroh to gently let Asami back down onto the ground. She walked as quickly as she could over to her office, opened the sliding door, and approached her phone. She cut off the sixth ring.

"Asami Sato," she answered, leaning up against her desk as she held the receiver up to her ear.

"Good Evening, Miss Sato," her assistant greeted her. "Chief Beifong is here to speak with you."

"She didn't schedule an appointment, did she?" Asami asked, hoping the answer was no. The Chief of police would never let her hear the end of a forgotten appointment.

"Uh, no, but she is here, and she is _very_ insistent that you come speak with her immediately," the heiress could hear the pang of annoyance in Vashir's voice.

"Well then," she said, taking a deep breath. "Tell her I'll be down in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, ma'am," Vashir responded, and Asami hung up the phone. Iroh entered the doorway, eyeing his topless companion.

"Why do you need to be back at the factory in fifteen minutes?" he asked curiously.

"Chief Beifong wants to speak with me. I'm sure it has something to do with the fight at my party this week," she groaned, walking past Iroh to retrieve her bra and shirt from their place on the floor by the lockers.

"Perhaps I should come, then," He suggested. "Lin and I have always gotten along rather well. Our grandparents were very close."

"Well I suppose I can't really do much else with you," she teased. "Let's go." After reclothing and hopping in Asami's Satomobile, the pair accelerated toward Future Industry's main factory to meet with a disgruntled and stubborn police chief as the sun set.

* * *

"Chief Beifong!" Asami tried to sound somewhat cheery as she opened the door to her office, where Lin Beifong stood waiting for her. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Normally I'd be more irritated, but you were clearly doing your job and testing a new biplane model. With… company, it appears. Hello, Iroh," Lin's voice remained stern for the duration of her speech but her eyes softened slightly as she looked at her figurative 'cousin.'

"Good evening, Lin," Iroh returned, gesturing toward her with his hand.

"Anyway, I came here to speak with you about the incident that took place at your estate two nights ago," the Chief of Police explained, sounding tense.

"Oh. Yes, the fight," Asami stammered, sitting down in her office chair.

"It was more than a violent disturbance," Chief Beifong explained. "It was the third domestic disturbance to occur at the same residence in the same three month period." Asami took a deep breath.

"Right. And I understand that shutting down the party was protocol and everything," she stated coolly. "And I'm sorry that I made myself a 'person of interest.'" The chief narrowed her eyes slightly, trying not to let Asami's charismatic apology impede her judgement of the situation from a legal perspective. Also, Lin bought her morning paper from the same newsstand every day. She'd seen the tabloids. It's hard not to glance at the ridiculous headlines about Republic City's celebrities. Especially when they involve people you know. Even her blind mother would have been able to see whatever 'thing' was going on between the General and the heiress.

"It's nice to hear you apologize, but you're _still_ going to be under close watch for a long time," Lin said flatly. "You are not allowed to host any social gatherings for the next three months. You will be checked in on at various points between now and August."

"But Chief," Iroh finally brought his voice into the conversation. "You know that As… Miss Sato doesn't host these get-togethers with violent intentions." The earthbender cocked an eyebrow at his almost casual mention of her first name. He wasn't on a first name basis with many people.

"Well whether it's intentional or not, her parties are a public safety risk," Lin objected. "I have to follow proper protocol." Asami narrowed her eyes at this statement as she recalled a time that Lin Beifong did _not_ follow this 'proper protocol' and broke her, Mako, and Bolin out of prison. She chose not to bring this up.

"I understand, Chief Beifong," Asami said calmly, accepting her punishment. "I'm sorry for being an inconvenience to you. I'll cooperate with you." Lin nodded solemly.

"Thank you for your understanding," The chief of police said, standing up. She extended her hand for a cordial handshake with the CEO of Future Industries, who obliged her. "My officers will drop in on you from time to time. I'll see you soon, Miss Sato."

The Republic City Chief of Police closed the door after her upon exiting Asami's office. The heiress sighed.

"Well, this sucks," she muttered.

* * *

"Really, if you ever could dock in the City long enough for me and a few workers to upgrade your engine, let me know," Asami offered the General, across the desk in his private quarters on board the ship. They were enjoying a take-out meal together.

"If you're serious, I'll plan my next visit around it," He responded. "How long do you think it would take?"

"About a week, if I could bring three others with me to help. It'd be well worth it, your ship would be faster and more efficient," the heiress stated as she gathered more egg noodles out of the carton she was holding with her chopsticks. Iroh smiled at her.

"Great. I'll let you know the next time I'm planning on visiting for that long," he said. Asami checked her watch and her eyes widened.

"Do you think you could boil me a cup of water real quick?" She asked, locating her purse and ruffling through it until she found the item she was looking for. Iroh nodded and grabbed a mug from the cabinets in his quarters. It was a large room, with a small dining area (although no kitchen), a sitting area, and his king sized bed in the corner.

"I'll be right back with some water," he said before exiting the room. Asami glanced around the small area Iroh spent most of his nights at sea. She frowned, noting how gloomy the cabin seemed. There were no portraits, no warm colors, just steel walls, wooden cabinetry, and standard, faded green sheets on his bed.

He returned to the room with a steaming mug of water, which he placed in front of Asami and sat in the chair next to her. She opened the small tin she had retrieved from her purse and added a handful of tea leaves from it. She let it steep for a moment as Iroh put his arm around her and lay a gentle peck on the crown of her head.

"I wish you didn't have to leave on Thursday," she said solemly before shoveling some more noodles into her mouth.

"We still have another day," Iroh countered calmly.

"Minus my business hours and whatever time you have to spend in meetings," Asami stated dismally. Iroh nudged her gently.

"Hey," he cooed. "We can do this." Asami sighed.

"How do you know that?" She asked, her emerald eyes glistening with worry.

"How do I know?" Iroh repeated, his face involuntarily showing a smile. "How do I _know_?" He grabbed the take-out box out of her hand, then the chopsticks, and placed both on the table in front of them.

"Because you're Asami Sato, Chief Executive Officer at Future Industries. You run a multi-million yuan business. And I'm the General of the United Forces. I think it's safe to assume that we both know a lot about communication technologies," He explained calmly, grabbing one of Asami's hands reassuringly.

"Damn you and your logical thought process," Asami muttered behind lips that were drawn up into a smirk. She leaned closer to him and gave him an appreciative kiss. The familiar, chemical warmth she had associated with his touch spread throughout her body. He was right. Communicating in the modern age wouldn't be all that difficult. They'd written each other often enough for the past three years. She could tell by the way he was kissing her back at this very moment that she crossed his mind more often than he'd like to admit.

She climbed out of her chair and into Iroh's lap without breaking lip contact. She gently held onto his neck as his hands ran through her hair. The nerves on her scalp fired off electric signals as he tugged her locks gently. She suddenly remembered herself and the beverage she had just prepared herself and pulled away. Iroh stopped and looked at the woman in his lap.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"Nothing, it's just my tea," she said, reaching for it on the table and taking a sip. "It's really important that I don't forget to drink this." Iroh could remember the smell of this speficic kind of tea from growing up with Firelord Zuko for a grandfather. Zuko knew many different things about different plants and the health benefits of specific teas, and was a generous man who shared his tea and knowledge with anyone who would let him. One of Iroh's girlfriends from a different time had confessed to him that his grandfather had been supplying her with the same special tea Asami was drinking right now.

"Ah. So we can have fun for fun's sake," he said, laying a kiss on the heiress' neck. Asami smirked, taking another sip. She was already halfway done with her tea. Iroh chose not to say anything else on the subject. He didn't really want to get on the topic of children and families, and he could tell his current company didn't either. They both had bigger plans for themselves than to procreate.

He continued kissing her neck but worked his way down to her chest. He carefully unbuttoned her blouse and separated the two halves of the item of clothing covering her chest. He bended a small fire dagger out of his index finger and used it to slice her bra off. She gasped in both shock and excitement into her almost finished cup of tea.

"I'm visiting a few islands on the outer edge of the Old Earth Kingdom later this week," he commented between delicate kisses he placed on her breasts. "I'll buy you a new bra there and send it back to you." Asami laughed.

"What a gentleman," She said, taking her final sip of tea and setting the teacup down on the table in front of her. This was Iroh's cue to pick up the woman who was straddling him at his table and carry her over to the bed as he continued to express his affection for her chest with kisses. He lay her down on the bed and hovered over her, placing kisses on her breasts, stomach, neck, and face. She clawed at his clothes, signaling him to remove his shirt and pants. She removed her skirt as he unclothed himself and he smiled as he climbed back on top of her.

"Eager tonight, aren't we?" He teased. She pulled his face to hers for a quick kiss before he ghosted his hands down her body to the area that needed his touch most. He ran a finger over her center and felt her wetness.

"I've been thinking about you since we got cut off earlier today at the airfield," Asami breathed as he brought his finger back to her entrance again, lightly stroking the wetness that emanated from her center. He dipped a finger in while his other hand explored one of her breasts.

"Mmhm, Iroh," She moaned. She reached into his underpants and stroked his hardening member. He kissed her mouth hungrily. He continued stroking her moist center, occasionally running his thumb over her clitoris, prompting a quick gasp from his partner. She stroked his now fully erect member after removing his boxers.

"Asami," he breathed, continuing his work between his legs and on her breasts. "I want…" the heiress pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. She sat up and pressed him down onto his back, laying a passionate kiss atop his lips. She then lay down on top of him, bent one leg up to his knee, and lowered herself onto him. The angle allowed for the pair to be close enough to kiss and explore each other's bodies. It also prevented either lover from moving too fast. Iroh's tight grip on Asami's derriere only grew tighter with each slow thrust. He nibbled on her earlobe.

"You feel amazing," he hoarsely whispered into her ear before she raised herself up off his chest into the cowgirl position.

"I'm close," she moaned after adjusting to the change in angle. "Are you…nnnf," she grunted as her previous statement prompted her sexual partner to bring a finger to her clitoris as he thrust into her. He continued stimulating her most sensitive area as she rode up and down his shaft, clutching onto his shoulders with short breaths.

"Iroh," she breathed, "I don't wanna… unh, finish without you."

"Trust me," he grunted. "You won't." He continued stroking her and she continued to tense up. She tried not to make too much noise as the friction between her legs added to her impending climax. She gasped and squeaked as she reached her peak, her muscles spasming around him as he continued thrusting. Her center gripped him in just the right way, and his orgasm came rushing to his head as well. They thrust together through their respective peaks until the ride had come to an end. Asami lowered her head gently to his and kissed him again.

"How do you… keep finding new ways to make that amazing?" She asked curiously, panting from exhaustion.

"I was about to ask you the same question," he responded breathily, wrapping his arms around her as she lay down on top of him, their breathing almost synched. After a few minutes of silence, his strength returned to him and he began playing with the ends of her hair that had strewn across his chest.

"You have such beautiful hair," He said calmly. Asami smiled and lifted her chin so that the pair made eye contact.

"You should teach a class on how to tell women what they want exactly when they want to hear it," She said with a lazy lull in her voice. "You should talk to your Professor friend. I'm sure it'd be very popular." Iroh laughed.

"So, Miss Sato, what's on the docket for tomorrow?" He asked. She shimmied up on the bed to lay closer to his shoulder.

"Well, I have my meeting with the assembly line floor managers at 8:30, and that usually runs until lunch, and in the afternoon I sit in on the traction tests for the new line of tires coming out this fall, and I'm expecting a phone call from a young entrepreneur in the Northern Water Tribe who has an interesting idea about how to make satomobiles that can travel on snow by using the same chain mechanism as tanks. I'm hoping to finish up by six," She practically groaned the last sentence as she internalized just how long her day was going to be. And she had to perform her role as the efficient, facilitative, and diligent CEO she had come to be known as in her years in charge.

"What about you, General, sir?" She posed, drawing a flower on his chest with the pad of her middle finger.

"AM debriefing with the ship's crew about our evening departure," Iroh started.

"Wait, _evening_ departure?" Asami interrupted, raising her head and looking down at Iroh on the bed next to her. "On Monday you said you'd be here for two more days. Today's only day one."

"Yes, and tomorrow is day 2. We have to leave around sunset to reach the Earth Kingdom islands by the early afternoon on Thursday," Iroh explained. Asami frowned.

"So this is our last night?" she asked, her disappointment apparent in her tone. "And we won't even be able to spend any time together tomorrow, will we?"

"Well, once you get off work you can come visit me at the docks. I won't let the ship depart until I see you one last time," He said, leaning up to lay a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I swear I'll figure out your secret someday," She said, prompting a curious look from Iroh. "To how you're so charismatically smooth and gentlemanly without even trying." Iroh smiled and shrugged.

"I'll never tell," he said and kissed her lips again. After, she pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can we get a nap in before we enjoy the rest of our last night together?" She asked, closing her eyes.

"How's a man supposed to sleep after hearing such a provocative statement like that?" He teased, sliding out from under her and trapping her under his arms. Iroh heard the footsteps of crewmembers walking in the hall outside his door. He smirked as he realized they could hear the playful giggle that Asami let out.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello followers! Sorry this chapter took so long... I really struggled with the flight scene. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I figure you guys have waited enough! I was hoping to get the next chapter after this up pretty soon since I had about half of it written, but my computer glitched out and deleted the last few pages of my word document! (I get ideas and write about things that haven't happened yet... i have a few events down the road already written out but I need to connect them with the story better) So. That sucks. But this means it'll be an even better chapter because I have to rewrite it again so only the important stuff will make it through! Anways. Sorry my Irosami is getting a little corny. I promise the story isn't going to be all mary sue-y. In fact, the next chapter's gunna have a nice load of conflict and drama!**

**Also, thanks for sticking with me this long! Please feel free to leave a review, and if you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! I take constructive criticism pretty well :)**


	11. Chapter 11

"_Asami?" Mako asked, half asleep in his bed, staring at the scantily clad woman standing in front of him. She pressed a finger to his lips to shush him and climbed under the covers, laying on her side to face him. _

"_I couldn't sleep," she whispered. He brushed her hair behind her ear._

"_Why couldn't you sleep, sweetheart?" He asked, slightly more awake._

"_I couldn't sleep because I can't stop thinking about the other night," She whispered in his ear before kissing his earlobe. The aforementioned night came back to him in flashes: a hairflip, bouncing breasts, a playful giggle, and an unforgettable scream._

"_So you came back for more, huh?" He smiled, pulling her body closer to his and planting a hard, demanding kiss on her lips. She reciprocated his force, pressing him down onto the bed and climbing on top of him, running her hands over his abs and stopping at his clothed waistline. She slipped her fingers under the waistband of his shorts and pulled them off, exposing his growing erection. He slipped his hands under her loosely tied silk robe to massage her breasts. She stroked his member as he moved his kisses southward to her breasts. He latched on to one nipple at a time, licking and suckling on the puckered skin. Growing impatient with his lack of attention between her legs, she grabbed one of his hands and brought it down to the area she wanted him to touch most. He stroked the edge of her entrance, excited by the warmth and wetness that met him. He dipped a finger into his lover, and Asami moaned in response. _

"_Shh," He shushed her, a smile forming on his lips. She grabbed his member and lined it up with her entrance and started to lower herself onto it._

"_Wait," Mako whispered hoarsely. She stopped and looked at him._

"_What's wrong?" She asked, starting to move off him. _

"_Are you sure we can… you know… without any… uh… consequences?" He was clearly mad at himself for asking this again. It was just his… what Asami called 'maternal' instincts kicking in. His girlfriend often joked with Avatar Korra about how Mako was definitely a mother in a past life. _

"_Relax, you know I have it taken care of," she sighed, trying not to sound too irritated. It was good that she had such a responsible boyfriend. The firebender smiled and flipped Asami over, wrapping her legs around his waist. He entered her slowly until he filled her as far as he could go. _

"_Asami…you feel amazing," he whispered to her, careful not to make too much noise. Mako's room was two floors below the __**entrance**__ to Hiroshi Sato's room. The "entrance" was a door that led to private stairway, atop which was the CEO's suite. Asami's boyfriend was still very cautious about not getting caught. _

"_I love you Mako," She returned as quietly as she could, and kissing his neck. He withdrew himself from her and pressed back in, starting a rhythm._

"_I love you too, Asami," he murmured in her ear. He thrust into her repeatedly until she couldn't remain silent any longer. She cried out, and mako placed his hand over her mouth to help silence her somewhat. She grabbed his hand on her mouth and separated the index finger from his other fingers and sucked on his fingertip lightly. She knew that drove him crazy._

"_Harder," she quietly commanded. _

"_This is as hard as I can go without getting too loud," He said, clearly holding himself back. _

"_Then let me try something," she said, leaning up and gently pushing against his shoulder, signaling to let her out from under him. "Lie on your back." He did as she instructed. She turned her face towards his feet and climbed on top of his member. The deeper angle of penetration felt even better than she would have hoped, and she moaned softly. He expressed his pleasure by grabbing onto her hips tightly. She raised and lowered herself up and down his shaft. The sounds of skin slapping, Asami's moans, and Mako's occasional groan filled the room. _

"_Asami…"he tried to say silently, "We're being too loud…" Asami didn't slow down her pace._

"_Don't stop now," She moaned as she lowered herself onto him repeatedly. With his last stroke, Mako hit a particular rough spot inside of Asami that caused both of them to climax together at the same time. Asami fell back onto the bed with her boyfriend after they had finished, still seeing stars. She couldn't believe that sex could be that good. Her first sexual orgasm! It was even better than she could have ever imagined. _

_Mako pulled her close and kissed her shoulders before leaning forward to kiss her lips. _

"_Thank you," he said after breaking the kiss, "for hitting me with your moped." She laughed softly, and made to get up and leave the room. He wouldn't let go of her hand._

"_Stay with me tonight," he said, pulling her back down. "Just this once." She looked at him and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at her boyfriend in thought._

"_What if we oversleep?" She asked nervously._

"_We won't. Firebenders wake with the sun, I promise I'll have you up and in your room before any servants get up to start their day," Mako said calmly. "Please don't make me sleep alone after what we just did." Asami smiled and crawled back into bed with her boyfriend. _

"_You looked so terrified, and then so speechless," she murmured, prompting a chuckle from the firebender whose arms were wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in her boyfriend's arms._

* * *

Asami woke with a start and checked for someone sharing her bed with her to no avail. Even though Iroh had been gone for a couple days, his absence hurt more and more every day. Especially when she had vivid dreams like this. She remembered that night with Mako, because the next day her fathers' equalist ties and secret workshop were revealed.

The worst part was, the memory was still getting her a little… excited. Great. What a terrible way to start a Saturday: thinking about the best sex you had with your ex. She felt guilty for having these thoughts, as she had no desire to ever hook up with Mako ever again. Although she wasn't about to announce it to the press, she was finally able to call Iroh her boyfriend. She couldn't believe it.

"Ugh, Mako," she grunted to herself, shaking all thoughts of him out of her head and getting up to start her day. Saturday was the only day out of week Asami took completely off; She enjoyed working for around 5 hours every Sunday when not as many factory workers were around, and more businesses were open on Saturdays so she'd have an easier time grabbing lunch in the city. She also liked to give her staff Saturdays off in the interest of saving money, increasing privacy, and asserting her independence. She was reading a book on her bed when she heard the chimes of her front door. She shuffled over to the phone on her nightstand, entered a numerical command that played her voice through the speaker in the door.

"Hello, I'll be down in a moment. Just me today," she said calmly, hanging up her phone and heading for the door. She immediately regretted her decision to open the door when she saw who was waiting for her on the other side.

"Mako?" She asked, staring at her ex boyfriend on her front doorstep, in his police uniform.  
"Good morning, Asami," He greeted awkwardly. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure," she returned, gesturing him in. "To what do I owe this… pleasure?" She tried not to sound as irritated as she was.

"Cut the bullshit, I know you're less than thrilled to see me. Chief Beifong insisted I take this house call. I think she's still mad at me over the triplethreat fiasco from last month. Asami recalled the headline in the paper: _Intersection and Agni Kai Head Quarters shut down after explosion caused by firebending officer._

"Yeah, maybe firebending at a satomobile with a full tank of gas wasn't the best idea," Asami snapped back at him. If he was going to be rude, then she certainly wasn't going to go out of her way to be nice to him. "Why are you over here anyway?"

"I'm here to watch you for the day in order to ensure you don't throw a party," he said with a smirk on his face. She wished she could smack his stupid mouth off his head, but restrained herself.

"Fine. How long do I have to deal with you?" She asked flatly.

"I'm here until seven tonight," He responded. Asami checked her wristwatch. Spirits, was it really only ten to eleven?

"Eight hours?" She asked, her mouth agape. "That's really necessary?"

"And to think, if you would have been more careful and responsible about who you let into your home, we wouldn't be in this situation right now," Mako droned in his usual motherly tone. Asami might let that slide, on another day. But today, she was irritable enough that she wasn't going to let him lecture her.

"Says the _bull_ who attended the party!" Asami shot back at her ex. He furrowed his brow, clearly showing that he didn't understand the modern slang for 'police officer.' She shook her head and decided not to tell him. Asami certainly wasn't going to be the one to ruin the purpose of the term.

"Asami, you host parties that have _open bars_. You don't charge anyone money, and then stuff like this happens. How much did you spend on this thing anyway?" He served her negative tone right back.

"I spend what I can afford, because I'm the Chief Executive Officer of a multi-million yuan business! What have you done with your life lately?" Asami fired off. She was not losing this argument. Not today, with him.

"I'm a police officer! I protect innocent people from threats to the city," Mako fumed at her.

"Oh, don't try to act all 'high and mighty' just because you have a badge!" Asami practically screamed. "Being a representative of the law does _not_ make you a good person, and if you don't believe me, then go look in the fucking mirror!"

"What, now you're attacking _my _morals?" Mako yelled back. "I saw you lead the General up to your room the other night!" The rage within Asami continued boiling up.

"That's hardly and of your business!" She shouted, clenching her fists as tightly as she could. He opened up his mouth to speak again, but she cut him off. "Just stop! You're not ruining this for me!"

"What? Ruining what?" Mako asked, genuinely clueless to her argument. She widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Spirits, are you serious, Mako?" She asked at a regular decibel level, but the biting anger laced with her words intimidated him more than her yelling. "You chose Korra a long time ago, and that's fine. I've moved on. And now that I've chosen someone else, you're going to get mad at me about it?"

"What?" the firebender countered, utterly speechless. "That's what you think this is about?" He tried to deny the bitter truth the heiress had just laid out for him. She sighed and shook her head.

"I can't handle this," she muttered. "Get out." Mako didn't respond to her command.

"GET OUT!" She screamed, pushing him back towards the door. He pushed her hands off him and she assumed her regular battle stance.

"Asami, I'm going to let that slide, but if you try to assault me again I'm going to have to follow protocol," Mako said slowly.

"I told you," She tried to say calmly, "to leave my home." Mako held his hands out as a precaution.

"You know I can't leave," He said, staring at her. "Please don't make me defend myself. Neither of us wants to deal with that right now." She lowered her hands as well, relaxing her stance but not unclenching her fists.

"Fine," she said shortly, turning around on the balls of her feet and storming up the main staircase to the house. She assumed he would follow her, as she rounded a corner to the first of many hallways, her assumption was correct as the heiress could see him out of the corner of her eye. She eventually entered her room, headed straight for her walk-in closet and slammed the door behind her, hoping the door might hit him in the face. She smirked at his angry harrumph from the other side of the door. The young queen of industry knew she was being immature and difficult, but she was too addicted on the rush of satisfying her pent up rage to care. Asami hadn't spent any time alone with Mako for at least two years. They still saw each other and interacted, but only when a neutral party like Bolin or Korra was with them. Nobody really understood how poorly the heiress and the former captain of the Fire Ferrets got along besides the pair.

She quickly changed into some clothes for sparring and exited her closet, wordlessly leading Mako into the training gym a few floors below. There was a collection of different weighted freeweights in one corner, a few padded areas for practicing tumbling, and four dummies on posts throughout the room. Asami approached one and realized that her desire to beat the living shit out of something had fizzled slightly. She turned towards Mako as an idea developed in her head.

"You can lift weights or something if you want," she said to him, still irked. "Or you can deny that the dumbbells exist and try to play it off like _I'm_ the one who's wrong." Mako glared at this statement.

"What is your deal today?" he erupted at Asami. The tension recharged her desire for physical violence.

"My 'deal' is that on my only day off, _you_, of all people, just show up, start acting rude, and force your way into my house for the next eight hours!" She yelled. Mako couldn't think of anything to counter her statement with. She assumed he was internalizing the fact that she was, in fact, right. She took this as her cue to begin her aggressive sparring session with the dummy in front of her. She began by kicking it in the head. Mako's eyes widened as he had another realization: that Asami was imagining _he_ was the dummy she was unleashing her pent up anger on. He watched for the next hour as she kicked, punched, and tore apart the dummy in front of her. Her endurance and tenacity were both impressive and terrifying, he noted.

Finally, the heiress laid one final blow on the dummy- a roundhouse kick to the stomach- before resting her hands on her knees, heaving from her intense cardio workout. After a few minutes of this, she sat down on the mat in front of her sparring partner. She wiped the sweat off her brow as she just breathed and said nothing to the police officer who was in the room with her, watching her every move. She sat like this in front of the dummy, with her back facing Mako, for five minutes before she stood up and poured herself a glass of water from the sink. She finished her beverage and turned to Mako.

"I'm going to take a shower," she said calmly. "And when I'm done, I'm getting food." The firebender nodded, trying not to disturb her tranquility by saying anything. He followed her upstairs and waited in her room while she showered and preened in her bathroom.

He paced around Asami's master suite, stopping after a few minutes to sit at her vanity. Looking at the curved wall of mirrors before him, he considered the fact that Asami probably spent about an hour in this seat every day. That was one of the things he both loved and hated about her back when they were dating. He loved that wherever they went, she looked polished and put together. But he hated the fact that in order for her to look as nice as she did, she spent hours picking out outfits and applying makeup. Korra was much lower maintenance in that respect, and it was one of the reasons why Mako enjoyed dating the Avatar. She was sexy, strong, athletic, caring, and stubborn. Bending was such a huge part of both of their lives, and she was a damned good bender. She was still better than Bolin at earthbending.

Before he knew it, he was dialing Air Temple Island from the phone in Asami's bedroom to get a hold of his girlfriend. He figured he would have more than enough time to talk to Korra, knowing that Asami would be in the bathroom showering and doing her hair for at least another hour and ten minutes. He waited for someone to greet him on the other end of the line patiently.

"Young women's dormitory, Ran speaking," a young woman answered the phone.

"Hi, Ran, it's Mako. Is Korra around?" he inquired.

"She's practicing airbending forms on the patio just outside," Ran answered. "Would you like me to get her for you?"

"That would be great," he returned, waiting patiently for the young acolyte to retrieve his girlfriend.

"Hi there, stranger," Korra greeted her boyfriend of three years.

"Hello there, Miss Avatar," he returned, a smile spreading across his face.

"Aren't you working right now?" the Avatar questioned.

"Technically, yes. I'm at Asami's house right now," he explained. "Chief Beifong put me on princess maintenance." Korra snickered.

"So I take it, it's not going well?" she posed.

"No, not exactly. We spent the first twenty minutes yelling at each other and we haven't really talked since. She's in the shower right now so I've got about an hour to figure out how to deal with her," he stated.

"She's not out to get you, you know," Korra said. "How did you approach her when you walked in the door?"

"I…" Mako thought back to their exchange. He recalled swearing during his second utterance to her. "…think I was pretty nice."

"Mako," Korra sighed. "What did you say?"

"Well I might have told her to stop the formalities as I knew she wasn't…excited about my presence," he answered guiltily.

"Well no wonder she yelled at you! You have to be nice to her in order for her to be nice back," Korra said.

"It's so hard to be nice to someone when you can tell from the moment they see you they don't want to have anything to do with you," he complained.

"I'm sure she feels the same way about you, Mako. Think about it from her perspective. She'd never admit it to you, but she's mortified about her party's infamous ending last week," Korra rationalized. Mako sighed, knowing that his girlfriend was right.

"Dammit," He muttered. "I hate it when you're more calm and rational than me." Korra laughed.

"It's kind of an Avatar thing," she teased. Mako laughed, knowing that Korra was still a hotheaded girl at heart. "Really, just try being nice to her and she's a wonderful person to spend time around. I know you two used to get along." Mako blushed, thinking back to his and Asami's relationship. She was so giving and sweet, and also so incredibly sexy at the same time. Towards the end, they only focused on the physical part of their relationship.

"You're right, Korra," he said, sitting down on Asami's bed.

"I could get used to hearing you say that," she joked. "But really, please be nice to Asami. She's one of my only girlfriends and she's actually really badass. Plus, I'm sure she's missing her boyfriend a lot."

"Wait, she has a boyfriend now?" Mako asked, feeling the ugly emotion of jealousy rise up in his chest.

"Yeah, her and General Iroh are official! I guess they're gunna visit and call each other a lot," Korra explained. Mako looked at the bed he was sitting on and stood up, realizing the events that had probably taken place on it a few nights earlier.

"How do they even think it's gonna work?" Mako asked, making sure his voice wasn't too loud. He could still hear the running water of the shower, but he was a cautious guy.

"They've been pen pals for a few years now," Korra said. "You really didn't know?"

"I don't really…pay much attention to Asami anymore," Mako stumbled over his words.

"Sure you don't. I know she has an envelope that has most of the letters he's written her in her room somewhere," Korra said.

"That's not creepy or anything," Mako muttered.

"Oh hush, Mako. You do cheesy stuff too. Anyways, I have to go, Tenzin and I are going over an air funnel technique I've been struggling with lately," the Avatar explained. "Thanks for calling me! I love you!"

"Thanks for the advice, I love you too," he responded, hanging up the phone on the receiver. He sighed and walked over to her vanity, taking a seat there again. He noticed, that at the very bottom corner of one of the mirrors, a small white paper stuck out. Mako grabbed onto the corner he found and pulled, revealing that this paper was in fact a large paper envelope wedged behind the mirror. He spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to move the mirror to get the envelope, and figured out that it rotated out. He grabbed the envelope and realized it contained a sizeable stack of papers. He realized this was the exact envelope Korra had just warned him about. He felt the familiar pang of jealousy hit him even harder than before. Before he could think about it, he pulled out the notes from their container and read through them.

_Dear Miss Sato,_

_After being docked in Republic City for four weeks in the aftermath of the equalist revolution, docking in a different port feels strange. All the names of the dock vendors I've learned are now useless. However, the one thing that the port of Chin Village has that Republic City lacks is my new canine companion. Every day when I set foot on the dock, my new friend will run up to me and greet me, and follow me around everywhere I go. He waits outside buildings for me. I'll try to take a picture with him before we leave port in a few days. I think you would like him. He shares your fondness for dumplings._

_Sincerely, _

_General Iroh II of the United Forces_

Mako scoffed at the General's use of formal titles in the first letter in the stack. He skimmed through a few others, deciding to read another letter dated 3 months after the first letter.

_Dear Miss Sato,_

_Greetings from the Capitol City of the Fire Nation! Returning home after being away most of the year is always an experience. This time around, everyone seemed much more excited to talk to me about my recent visit in Republic City than they have been in years past. And the question I am asked the most by other high-ranking officers isn't what the equalists were like, but rather if I got the chance to meet you. They are all very interested in your father's latest invention and how you plan on opening Future Industries back up to the public. I've attached the contact information of two men who seem the most hopeful for your company's future to the back of this note._

_Now you can't say I never did anything for Future Industries,_

_General Iroh II of the United Forces_

Mako shook his head. Iroh did have a brilliant strategy to win over Asami: help her business. He looked at a few other letters from this first year of contact but found them to be boring, so he decided to skip to the letters being addressed from the next year.

_My Dearest Miss Sato,_

_As I scrawl this short note to you from the freezing cold waters of the North Pole, I am still trying to comprehend the fact that our last visit was five days ago. When the wind chill gets to be unbearable, I picture myself sitting with you and a bottle of wine, in front of your fireplace. This simple memory gets me through more than you know. _

_Keep an eye out in the mail for a package from me. That comment about your affinity for arctic fox fur didn't fall on deaf ears._

_Thinking of you,_

_General Iroh II of the United Forces_

Mako rolled his eyes as he recalled Asami's white fox scarf, and how fond she was of it. He listened to Asami in the bathroom from his seat. She had just shut off the water but that in no way meant she was going to exit the bathroom soon. He continued skimming through the letters, pulling out a note from within the last year, noting that it was stained with a few tiny drops of some sort of liquid.

_My Dearest Asami,_

_Please enjoy the bottle of sparkling wine that I hope accompanied this note all the way to Republic City. I spent a week at the monastery with the monks who grow the grapes and distill the spirits. All the money they made from my purchase funds the reconstruction of the main building in the compound. These monks are also particularly good at distilling spirits with a very high percentage of alcohol by volume. This bottle is a whopping 32 percent. I know you enjoy strong spirits. Relax and take a break from whatever corporate woes you might be suffering right now. _

_Until we see each other again,_

_Iroh_

Mako raised his eyebrows, noting how in both his greeting and his signature, Iroh had dropped the formal titles for both Asami and himself. He had no idea they were so close. Or that they exchanged quite so many letters. He flipped through more letters until he got to one that was dated five months prior to the present day.

_My Precious Asami,_

_I swear that plants pick up on negative energy and die after you've decided they're a nuisance. My jasmine just wilted on me last week. But perhaps it had less to do with the fact that I told the plant I hated it and more to do with the fact that it didn't get much sun or warmth for a few days. _

_In a few weeks my ship will be docking at the island on the east end of the chain of Islands that make up the Fire Nation. When I was reviewing the voyage on my map, I couldn't help but notice that this is the closest I've been to Republic City in months. And you are a talented pilot, are you not? Do you think you're capable of flying a few hours over the ocean to come visit? There's a small airport with a single runway on the east coast of the island._

_I hope the timing is convenient for you. Let me know what you decide._

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Iroh_

Mako thought back to a weekend in the winter where Korra received a few calls from Asami… at his apartment, because the Avatar had given the number to her friend (without his consent) with the instructions to call. He thought harder, and vaguely remembered that Korra had asked Asami how her flight was. Mako usually tuned out Korra's conversations with his ex-girlfriend.

He stopped and listened for Asami. He heard the sink running, so he knew she was cleaning her fingernails and brushing her teeth, which gave him another fifteen minutes or so.

He felt a light pang of guilt for invading his ex-girlfriend's privacy like this, but his jealous heart wouldn't let him stop reading. He was hoping to find a legitimate reason to hate the General and had yet to find one.

_My Dearest Asami,_

_It was wonderful beyond words to see you again last week. My crew really appreciated your repairs around the ship. They did not, however, appreciate the six hours I forced them to clean the entire ship until it was spotless for their lewd behavior toward you. _

_Between your knowledge about satomobiles, biplanes, and ship mechanics, the amount of liquor you consumed, and the officer you slapped for being too forward, you won the hearts and minds of every man on the ship. Well, maybe besides that officer (who I've always disliked). I had a great weekend, and I hope you_

"Mako?" Asami deadpanned as she stood on the other side of the bed, stopping on the path from the bathroom to her closet. She eyed Mako, sitting at her vanity counter, holding all of Iroh's letters to her. He tensed up, nervously shuffling the stack of papers back together and shoving it into the large envelope he had found. She double checked to make sure her robe was covering her body.

"Asami… I…" the firebender was at a loss of words as he was caught in the act.

"You went through my room," the heiress started, "and read my private letters from General Iroh?"

"Well… yes. But I just saw the envelope sticking out from under the mirror…. I thought it was weird…"

"So because you found it in a secret spot you thought it was okay to open it up and its contents?" Asami started to raise her voice now.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't help myself," Mako frowned, the guilt washing over him now.

"Leave," she commanded. Mako shook his head slowly.

"We've been over this already," he tried to say calmly.

"Get out of my house right now or I'll go straight to Chief Beifong with this," the heiress stated authoritatively. " I'm sure this is a violation of some form of protocol." Mako looked his ex-girlfriend straight in the eyes.

"Asami, please," he returned. "I'm not allowed to leave your house until seven." She shook her head and thought for a moment.

"Well then get the fuck out of my room," she said through gritted teeth. Mako took a deep breath and gathered himself for a moment. Then he stood up.

"I'll be in the dining room," he said sternly before turning and leaving her room. Asami entered her closet and tried to focus her attention on deciding what to wear to lunch rather than how Mako had just completely violated her privacy and read the letters Iroh wrote, that were meant for _her eyes only_. No one else had ever read them. Until now.

Eventually, she chose an outfit and put it on. She sat in her room for a long time before deciding to go downstairs and go out to lunch with her least favorite person in the city.

* * *

**Author's note: BAM! This is probably going to be the quickest update I've ever had ever! It was mostly done last night, but I knew I was going to want to polish it up a little so I finished it up today.**

**Anyways, I was getting tired of the slow-moving timeline and decided I was going to pick up the pace of the story a little bit. Also, how is this chapter 11? I can't believe this has turned into one of those stories that looks really intimidating for first time readers... why do I have so much to say about everything?**

**It's almost impossible for me to imagine Asami having any conflict with Iroh at this point in the storyline so I figured we could give Mako the limelight a little bit. I'm pretty sure I'm Asami sexual because I could write smut involving any character and Asami and would probably love it. She is too sexy for her own good. Also I don't really like Makorra but I'm trying not to mess with it because it's canon and as much as I'd love for Borra to happen I'm not gunna have Korra be that homewrecker who leaves her boyfriend of 3 years for his younger brother. So. There. But ****I hope you guys enjoyed the Masami smut. Damnit they are a good looking couple (but not as good as Irosami). **

**Anyways, thanks for continuing to read and review! I appreciate all the favorites and follows :D**


	12. Chapter 12

_My Dearest Iroh, _

_I know it has only been a few days since your ship left port, but I already miss you so. I've been spending a lot of time with my favorite police officer, Mako, under special orders from the chief. The police are watching my every move! On the bright side, no one can rob me, as there is always a car parked a block away, watching the estate. _

_I hope everything is going well on the outskirts of the Old Earth Kingdom. Please return to me soon! _

_Sincerely,_

_Asami_

_My Precious Asami,_

_The nights without you have indeed been long and lonely. I'm sorry to hear about your special treatment from the Republic City Police Force, but if it's any condolence my crew and I ran into some trouble with the law as well. Apparently the trade islands we were visiting didn't communicate our arrival to the Earth Kingdom Coastguard. We were boarded and accused of attempting to start another war!_

_Thanks to my personable attitude we got the whole misunderstanding cleared up without any injuries. So, I suppose the moral of the story is things work out once you understand that flattery is the key to good policy. _

_Thinking of you,_

_Iroh_

Asami smiled at the letter she held in her hand from her romantically involved pen pal. She could hear his voice speaking the words as she read along in her head. She swooned to herself and set the letter down on the desk in front of her vanity mirrors. She decided she would write him back in a few days, when she had happier things to tell him. She didn't want him to feel like he was becoming some sad girl's diary. The phone rang from her nightstand, and she walked across the room to answer it.

"Asami Sato," she answered calmy.

"Good evening, Miss Future Industries," a familiar voice greeted her on the other end. She smiled.

"Tahno! Is it the third Wednesday of the month already?" the heiress returned.

"Indeed it is," Tahno's icy voice shot back. "Although, I'm not too interested in any of the pictures playing right now."

"Me neither," she agreed. "What should we do instead?"

"I was thinking we start the night out at Kuang's," Tahno suggested, "and then explore the nightlife." The heiress cocked an eyebrow.

"Gee, Tahno, you're not trying to get me all juiced up and frisky now are you?" Asami joked, in a voice mocking a popular female reporter.

"Now, Miss Sato, you've gone and ruined my plans," the waterbender returned from the other end of the line, impersonating Shiro Shinobi. The pair laughed.

"So I'll have a car pick you up at eight, then?" Asami coined, scrawling a note to herself as a reminder.

"Sounds wonderful. See you tonight," He answered, and the phone call was done. This was what the heiress loved about Tahno: he was an uncomplicated man. He was also one of her only male friends who was just a friend. They had never gotten romantically or physically involved and they both relied on the platonic nature of their friendship. They consulted each other for relationship advice quite often. Plus, they both threw and frequented each others' fantastic parties. The tabloids certainly loved Tahno and Asami's relationship. One reporter in particular had been speculating for some time that they were going to become a "socialite power couple" and throw the most extravagant parties in the nation.

Asami's thoughts on this topic were interrupted by another incoming phone call. She assumed it was Tahno again.

"So what did you forget to tell me?" She spoke into the receiver after bringing it to her mouth. There was a brief pause.

"Uh, I'm not sure who you were expecting, but I was just calling to invite you to visit me at the pet store during your lunch break tomorrow," Bolin's voice came through the line.

"Oh, sorry Bo, I just got off the phone with Tahno," Asami explained, half-laughing from embarrassment.

"Oh. I forgot you enjoy spending time around that wet blanket," Bolin stated flatly.

"Hey, we're all allowed to have one. You have Mako," she teased.

"Hey, just because you two ended on bad terms doesn't mean that I love him any less," Bolin defended his brother. Asami understood Bolin's words. She still loved her father despite the fact that their relationship remained complicated.

"But you agree with me that he's a bit of a Mr. Grundy," Asami prodded.

"Yeah, he is a little straight-laced. But he's still my brother. And a cop. And boyfriend to the Avatar. So he's not really as boring and evil as you think he is," Bolin shot back. "Anyways, please come visit me tomorrow. We're getting an animal I know you'd love to meet." She heard the click of her friend's phone hanging up, and frowned.

"_Very_ myserious, Bo," she muttered to herself. But of course, she couldn't stop herself from wondering what animal the pet store by the University could be getting that she would be interested in.

The heiress checked the time on her watch to realize that it was already six, and she only had two hours to get ready for her night out with Tahno. She stood up and headed into the bathroom to preen for the evening.

* * *

Asami sat in the back of her driver's car.

"So you're seeing Tahno now?" the driver asked his boss.

"_Spirits_ no, Sonrik!" Asami replied. "Tahno and I are like long lost siblings."

"Sorry, Miss Sato," he apologized. "You have been having a very interesting past few weeks is all." Asami flinched at this statement, reflecting back over the past week and a half. Another monotonous workweek had slowly crawled by, followed by the second Saturday in a row of quality one-on-one time with Mako. Eight hour shift with a horrific moo-sow of an ex-boyfriend aside, Asami had been spending most of her time worrying about the catastrophic failure during the testing of Future Industries' new snow tires. The rubber was too affected by the cold temperature on the ground in the testing facility, and lost its elasticity. Instead of flexing, allowing the specially grooved tire to increase its surface area on the icy simulated road, the rubber contracted and the amount of rubber in contact with the ground decreased, causing the tire to lose all grip on the ice and slide out for _every single test_.

She found herself still slaving away on a solution at nine o'clock on Sunday night, realizing that her usual five-hour Sunday workload was a luxury she probably wouldn't be able to afford for the next few weeks. She would have worked on Saturday as well, but her father's voice resounded in her head: _"The best bosses give their employees one day a week to work without the pressure of knowing their superior is in the other room."_

Hiroshi Sato had doled out this advice to her during her third visit with him after his incarceration for his role in the equalist revolution.

"Miss Sato?" Sonrik said, the tone in his voice making it sound like it was not his first attempt to get her attention. Asami came crashing down out of her thoughts and became more aware of her immediate surroundings. The car was pulled over in front of the entrance to Kuong's Cuisine.

"Hmm? Sorry, I'm just really preoccupied with work," the heiress apologized for her spaciness. Her driver smiled kindly at her.

"I've heard business is tough right now," he responded. "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you," Asami returned, opening the satomobile door and exiting gracefully. She approached the entrance to Kuong's and was greeted by the usual doorman.

"Good evening, Miss Sato," he greeted her, bowing his head.

"Hello," she returned, idly scanning the artwork on the walls in the entryway. She had always been particularly fond of Kuong's Cuisine because of the first impression the restaurant made on all its visitors. "Has Tahno arrived yet?"

"I'm afraid not, madam," he answered, grabbing a menu and ushering her towards the table she had reserved. She took her seat and he handed her the menu. "May I get you anything to drink?"

"Could you bring out a bottle of pinot grigio, with two glasses please?" the heiress requested.

"As you wish, Miss Sato," he said, leaving her alone at the table to contemplate her most recent Saturday with her ex-boyfriend.

* * *

"No. No way," Asami said sternly, crossing her arms as she glared at Mako, in his police uniform, who stood across from her in the garage just outside the estate.

"Asami, I can't just let you get in a car and drive it alone. What would stop you from just driving away?" Mako argued. "If you really want to 'go for a spin,' then I'm coming with you." Asami rolled her eyes as he used his index fingers to mark his quotation marks for emphasis on the fact that he was using her words.

"No offense, but the whole reason why I need the therapy of driving and cornering at fast speeds is because I have to deal with you," Asami stated coldly. Mako's expression remained unchanged.

"Well then, if you really need to drive like that, you're taking me with you," he said. Asami quirked an eyebrow. If a drive was what he wanted, then that was certainly what he would get.

"Fine. Get in," the heiress returned shortly. Mako did as he was told and climbed in the passenger seat of Asami's latest satomobile model. Asami walked around to the other side of the car and took her seat behind the wheel. She started the car and put it in gear, quickly reversing and exiting the garage, heading out towards the race tracks. Mako bit his lip in anxiety as the rubber tires beneath the vehicle squealed around each turn. He also clutched the handhold on the ceiling of the car for dear life. Asami noticed this out of the corner of her eye and a small smile formed on her face. At least he wasn't enjoying the ride, something that improved her experience exponentially.

After about half an hour of this activity, Asami pulled her satomobile off to the maintenance pits by the finish line and turned the engine off. She opened the door and stepped out to examine the engine, to see how the different belts were wearing, and inspect which areas of the engine were too hot. Mako opted to get out of the car after it had stopped moving as well. He watched the heiress, bent over and closely examining the engine. His eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her backside, as she was bent over right in front of him. He cursed himself for objectifying his ex-girlfriend; he knew Korra would be less than pleased to see him ogling Asami like this.

His mind traveled back to a time when the pair was still romatically involved, when she would have him spar with her so she could practice fighting against benders. Of course, she never sparred with any other benders… just him. She was a great fighter, and didn't actually need the training at all. Mako knew that Asami just loved fighting him. The instinctual dance stirred something between the two. Something about using almost full force against each other in a match made the two feel more connected than ever before. Plus, Asami always wore such form-fitting clothing for sparring, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Mako. The primal contact of the fight only added to the heated air between the two. Most sparring matches would end in an enthusiastic makeout session.

Mako only wished he had the hindsight he now possessed while he was still dating the heiress. They were always fighting: physically for the first half of the relationship, and verbally for the last half. They didn't know any other way to interact with each other.

"Can you bring the tool kit over here?" Asami asked, turning to face him. Mako snapped out of his trance and turned around immediately, hoping his ex-girlfriend wouldn't notice where his eyes were. He brought the tool kit and set it on the ground in front of the satomobile. The heiress squatted down to the kit, opened it, and grabbed out a small wrench. She stood up and returned to hovering over the engine as she loosened a few bolts to lift some components of the engine out. Mako found himself losing control over his gaze as he found himself, once again, tracing the curves of Asami's body as she worked on her car.

"You should keep your eyes to yourself," she said coldly without looking at him, as if she sensed his gaze.

"What? Get over yourself, Asami," Mako stammered, crossing his arms and averting his gaze to the road. Asami stood up, wrench in hand, a smudge of grease on her cheek, and looked Mako dead in the eye. Her gaze reflected the pure frustration and rage she felt through dealing with him. She opened her mouth to vent at him, but suddenly remembered Iroh's advice to her: "_flattery is the key to good policy_." She took a small step back from Mako, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," she started, half-sincere, "for being so difficult. I know that you're under a lot of pressure from the Chief. I also know how much it sucks to work with someone you don't like. Can we just be respectful with each other?" Mako was taken aback by this calm reaction. This was a different kind of fight. Her words were peaceful but her eyes were bitter and full of anger. Asami could try to act mature all she wanted, he knew that she got a charge off arguing with him as well.

Mako examined Asami's face as he tried to formulate speech. The smudge on her cheek accompanied with her frazzled expression made her seem _human_ for the first time in years. His body acted before his mind had time to process what was happening.

He brought his lips to hers in a quick kiss. Asami immediately rejected the form of affection by pushing him away from her, dropping the wrench on the ground in all the excitement. He took a step back, still making eye contact. Asami recoiled her hand and brought a hard slap to Mako's cheek. He grabbed her wrist after she had made contact with his cheek and continued staring into her eyes. Asami was absolutely infuriated by Mako's actions. But there was something about the charged air between the two that allowed her to let him move closer again. He laid another kiss atop her lips, and this time she let herself be lost in the moment. She had forgotten how great Mako's lips felt against hers. Asami finally broke the kiss, taking her hand back from his as she remembered herself.

This was the same Mako that broke her heart, the same Mako that lied to her for three months straight, the same Mako that hadn't even tried to be her friend for the past three years, the same Mako that sabotaged all her potential relationships after theirs had ended. She brought her hand back one last time, and Mako closed his eyes expectedly. She smacked him again as hard as she could, pivoting on her heels as soon as she was done and storming out to the race track, walking in the general direction of the estate.

* * *

"So sorry I'm late, my dear," Tahno said coolly as he took his seat at the table with his friend.

"If you showed up on time I would be concerned," Asami teased, raising her glass of wine to her lips and taking a sip. "I took the liberty of getting us some refreshments while I waited for you." Tahno smiled and grabbed the bottle to pour himself a glass.

"So," he started, filling his glass with the purple substance. "How's the romance?" Asami smiled.

"I can't believe it's been over a week since I last saw him," she mused, scanning the restaurant.

"Especially now that it's official," Tahno continued.

"Why does everyone keep saying it like that? It's not like we weren't interested in each other before," Asami commented.

"It's one thing to casually hook up with someone for three years and another to have a legitimate long distance relationship," Tahno spoke into his wine glass before taking a few sips. Asami shrugged, unsure what to say to her friend's statement. Their waiter arrived at the table and took their orders. Before she knew it, dinner was over and the pair was polishing off their second bottle of wine.

"Lily went home with you that night?" Asami asked eagerly, picturing the girl with a pixie-cut who always seemed to be around Tahno as a part of his posse.

"It's not really that shocking, is it?" Tahno asked, gesturing with his glass. "We've been together before."

"Yeah, but I thought she was going with that Liwei guy," the words rolled off the heiress' tongue. Wine was one of her favorite spirits.

"Well they're split, for now," the waterbender explained, a cocky smirk on his face. Asami knew he didn't really care if Lily was lying to him and was, in fact, cheating on her boyfriend.

"You devil, you," she said, laughing. Tahno finished the last of his drink.

"So, Miss Sato," he uttered, setting his empty glass down on the table. "Where will the night take us from here?"

"I think we should go to the bars by cannery row," Asami suggested. She took the last sip of her beverage as well.

"Good idea," Tahno smiled and stood up, offering his hand the young queen of industry. She took it and stood up as well. He walked her out to the street, where they hailed a taxi and instructed its driver to take them to the docks on the west side of the peninsula. He told her a funny joke after the vehicle started moving and she laughed, adjusting herself in her seat. She straightened out the short-sleeved sweater she wore over her black dress that fell just below her knees. Tahno smiled.

"That is a keen outfit, Asami," he complimented. Asami mock-curtseyed from her seat.

"Thank you, darling," she said, pursing her lips at him. She studied his signature hairstyle for a moment before the liquid courage coursing through her veins gave her the actual courage to ask the question she'd been dying to know ever since she met him.

"Was it harder to style your hair without your bending? Or do you not use bending as a part of your daily hair routine?" she coined, somewhat awkwardly. Tahno smirked at her sudden outburst of curiosity.

"You mean, you didn't notice how awful my hair looked for the few months I couldn't bend?" he asked, sounding relieved. "Yes, the only way I can get my hair to look like this is if I bend all the water out of it in a spiral."

"If only I were a waterbender," Asami mused, touching her own hair. "Although the curls are natural." Tahno nudged her playfully and the pair laughed together.

The cab pulled to a stop and the driver opened the door, extending his hand to Asami to assist he in exiting from the vehicle. She took his hand and stepped out of the cab, stopping and turning around as she waited for Tahno to do the same. After the pair was out and the fare had been paid, Tahno offered Asami his arm and they headed for the nearest bar, a popular place with the city's generation of young adults.

They were about to enter the establishment when a papparazo jumped out, seemingly from nowhere, and snapped a few quick shots.

"Miss Sato!" He yelled from behind the camera, the flashes of light making it impossible to make out his figure. "Is it true that you and General Iroh of the United Forces have initiated a relationship? Does he know about your night out with Tahno?" Asami furrowed her brow. She'd only told Korra, Tahno, and Bolin about her recent change in relationship status. How did this guy know about it already? After a pause, the papparazo took another photo and called out to her again. She opened her mouth to reply, but Tahno brought his hand up, signaling for her to remain silent. He pulled her into the bar and closed the door behind her.

"Never speak to reporters, Asami," he said coolly, looking around the inside of the building. The building had tall ceilings, with fabric that hung down from the walls. The colored cloth filtered the lights that lay underneath the fabric so the bar glowed blue, purple, and red. "I thought you were more versed on dealing with them."

"I know, I know," Asami sighed. "I just… how do they already know about Iroh? Do these people have any sort of life?"

"My best guess is Mako. You told Korra, right?" Tahno answered, having finished his scan of the establishment. He started walking towards the bar, motioning for his friend to follow. Asami inwardly recoiled at the mention of her ex-boyfriend's name. She wasn't sure if she should tell Tahno what happened. He was quite the gossip. Plus, she didn't want word getting back to Korra before she told her herself. Asami didn't want to try to hide this from her closest girlfriend.

"Yeah…" she said, unsure of herself.

"Well, I think it's pretty safe to assume that anything you tell Korra, she's likely to relay to her boyfriend of three years," Tahno said, in a teasing tone, although Asami knew he was right.

"But Mako wouldn't run around telling everyone about it," she said as they arrived at the bar and took their seats as they waited for the bartender to notice them.

"Reporters aren't dumb," Tahno mused, looking at the bartender, waiting for him to make eye contact. "The fallout of your and Mako's relationship wasn't exactly private. Papparazi are always going to talk to someone who isn't really close with their subject. That way they don't feel about about leaking details about your personal life." Asami nodded as she internalized this.

"Damnit, Mako," she muttered, prompting a chuckle from Tahno. The bartender finally noticed the celebrities at his bar and approached the pair.  
"I see Republic City has graced me with its finest," the bartender greeted them. Asami smirked. "What can I get for you two?"

"I'll have—" Tahno started, but Asami interrupted him.

"Bring us out a bottle of sake, please," she requested. Tahno turned to her, eyebrows raised in shock. The bartender glanced between the two.

"So, one bottle of sake for the both of you?" he asked. Asami smiled and nodded, nudging Tahno playfully. He shrugged, submitting to the heiress' request. The bartender grabbed their requested liquor and two small ceramic cups, setting them down in front of the captain of the Wolfbats and the CEO of future industries. Asami grabbed the bottle and filled both the cups, motioning for Tahno to grab his. They clinked their glasses together and took a few sips of the warm spirit.

"I love sake," she commented as she set her cup down on the bar in front of them. Tahno laughed.

"The papers have it all wrong," Tahno started, a smile splayed across his face. "You're not the queen of industry. You're the queen of intoxication."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello, dear readers! Every time I submit a new chapter to this story I am shocked at how long this story is getting. Anyways, like I said in the last chapter, I've decided to pick up the pace a lot more. I mean, if we're going to see Iroh again anytime soon the weeks have to fly by. **

**Anyways, no sex this chapter... sorry. It just didn't seem to fit in with the story I wanted to tell. I also have been using slang from the 1920s throughout this whole story, partially because I like the way it sounds, and also partially to prevent myself from modernizing how all our favorite characters talk. **

**Lastly, I wanted to give all of you a heads up that my next update will probably be my last for a while. I'm leaving to go work at a summer camp and not only to we not get very good internet up there, we also have a very limited amount of free time. However, I want to make it very clear that I AM IN NO WAY ABANDONING THIS STORY. It's my baby! Seriously though, I think about this story more often than I'd like to admit. So, maybe I'll update once or twice throughout the summer but this story will be relatively quiet for the next 3 months or so. So sorry, dear readers, but I promise I'm not abandoning you! I'll probably update the description of the story after I leave for the woods to include the fact that the story is on an informal hiatus. **

**Please continue to read and review though! The reviews are very inspiring for me, and I'm happy to see that so many people like my story!**


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